Opposites Attract
by DBT the awesome
Summary: For Dr Nicolette Simmons, she spends her time in the helicarrier doing 2 things. 1, locate the cosmic sphere. 2, torment Captain America, and make his life a living hell. But no one can run from their past forever, and she just might regret picking on the one who can help her most. Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey guys! So I was looking through all of the Steve/OC stories here, and I saw that a) there was a huge lack of them and b) most of them had characters which had a special spark with him to begin with. So it got me thinking, how about a character which is so _against_ him? It would be interesting, don't you think? ****It's also kind of like a birthday present to our dearest Mr Chris Evans, who turned 31 yesterday (13/6)! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Where's Stark?" Fury asked, walking through the corridors of the helicarrier to meet the mighty superhero team.

"He's on his way," Maria Hill, his loyal assistant, replied.

"And Simmons?" he raised his eyebrow at her.

"She's in her room. Shall I go get her?" Agent Hill asked, earning a nod from the man in the eye patch. "Sir," she said and promptly left.

Fury continued his journey to the conference room, and it was not long before he walked through the automatic doors and addressed the five people before him. "Dr Banner, Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers, Thor," he greeted each one in turn.

"Stark's late again?" Steve asked, rolling his eyes.

"He's on his way," Fury confirmed with a nod. He handed each of them a file.

"The tesseract?" Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not exactly. This is the cosmic sphere. It's similar to the tesseract, but it releases electro-"

"Starting without me, Fury?" Tony asked as he walked in, still wearing his Ironman suit.

"Mr Stark. How nice of you to join us," Fury commented.

"Late, as usual," Steve mumbled with another roll of his eyes.

"Hope you didn't miss me too much, Cap," Tony said as he pat the war hero's shoulder and took a seat next to Bruce.

"I was just telling the rest about the cosmic sphere. It's very similar to the tesseract, except that it releases electromagnetic waves instead of gamma rays. Which is why we have called in an expert in electromagnetic rays here. Agent Hill should be here with the doctor soon."

"Sir? I have Dr Simmons here," Agent Hill reported.

"Just in time. Bring her in," Fury ordered with a nod. Agent Hill responded with another nod as she entered the room, but this time with another lady.

She was young, 30 at most, with long blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was skinny - painfully so - and extremely pale. Her face was plastered with layers of make-up, which included pink eye-shadow and bright red lipstick. Her outfit was a hot pink silk strapless mini-dress, and she wore silver high-heeled shoes to go with it.

"Lecture est un plasir," she smiled as she walked into the room, her heels clicking against the floor.

"Simmons, cut the act," Fury commanded firmly.

"Aww, come on, Nick. Stop being such a party pooper," she whined jokingly. Then she turned to the team. "But yeah, I'm not French. I don't even speak French. I just picked that line up from a film I saw. Hell, I don't even know what it means," she said with a smile to her face.

"Nat, I thought you spoke French," Clint said, turning to the redhead.

She shook her head. "The only thing I know how to say in French is 'prepare to die'," she commented with an emotionless expression, though it was evident in her tone that she was joking.

"Must be really handy, huh," the blonde said, her smile widening.

Nick Fury shook his head incredulously. He then continued his briefing, "Anyway, Dr Simmons is-"

"Nicolette. My name is Nicolette. Seriously, what is up with you people? It's like everyone on this ship has a phobia of first names or something," she said.

"Amen, sister," Tony agreed.

"Well, _Nicolette _here is to help us find the sphere. She's the only electromagnetism expert who knows about SHIELD and what it does," Fury stated plainly.

"She knows? I mean, I know SHIELD isn't exactly secret, but I never thought any civilian, nevermind an electromagnetism expert, knew about us," Agent Romanoff asked.

"How do I know? Because of Maria, of course," she stated. After earning confused looks from the rest of the Avengers, she continued, "Maria...or rather, Agent Hill, is my cousin. On my mother's side. Which would explain why we don't have the same last name."

"Dr Simmons, allow me to introduce you to the Avengers," Fury began.

"That's really sweet of you, Nick, but I already read their files," Nicolette interrupted.

"But those files were-"

"Classified? Yeah, I took the initiative to hack into your server and read them. What can I say? I'm a curious lady. But hey, now you don't have to introduce me to the Avengers. No need to thank me."

"Dr Simmons, you have no right to hack into SHIELD's server," Fury said with a glare more intense than usual.

"Yeah, yeah, whatevs," she replied casually with a wave of her hand. "So, Nick, is there a place I can do my work?"

"Agent Hill," he glanced at her.

"Already on it. Come on, Nicolette," Maria said as she led Nicolette away from the conference room.

"Wait, I do not understand. If the girl is all you need to find it, why do you need us?" Thor spoke up, his deep voice echoing the room.

"Dr Simmons is needed to find the sphere, but unfortunately, there are others looking for it as well. AIM, HYDRA, all of them want their hands on it. And it's up to you to make sure none of them get it. If they do, we're might as well doomed."

The Avengers nodded gravely. They knew the importance of their mission, and so the responsibility of the world were burdened on their shoulders.

"Will Dr Simmons be taking over the lab I used previously?" Bruce spoke up.

Fury nodded. "The equipment there should be well-suited for her needs. Any other questions?" The members looked at one another, all shaking their heads. "Then you are dismissed. You'll be escorted to your rooms." On cue, six men in SHIELD uniforms appeared.

"I like that Nicolette girl. She seems cool," Tony commented as they stood up from her seats.

Steve shrugged. "She's alright... But she's a little intrusive."

"Are you kidding? That's exactly why she's so cool!"

"Whatever you say, Tony."

* * *

**A/N Okay, so that's chapter 1! My OC isn't described that much in detail here, but as you go along you'll find out more about her. I really hope you liked this chapter. I know it's a little OOC, especially Barton, cuz he was evil for the first half of the movie. But you know, I'll try to get the hang of it. I won't be updating anytime soon because I'm on holiday from tomorrow until Monday, so sorry, guys. But I'll try to write on paper there and then transfer it onto the computer when I get back. Just don't get your hopes up... Well, I should go. I'm leaving in less than 12 hours' time, it's really late at night, and I haven't packed yet. Thanks for reading!**

**~DBT**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys! I'm back from my holiday! Thank you all so much for your positive response. You guys are awesome! Sorry it's a little late, and please don't kill me if it's not too good. :/ But here's Chapter 2 of Opposites Attract – enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Nicolette busied herself with the new lab the agency had given her. "EMI filters over here, residual current circuit breaker there...and everything's all arranged!" she mumbled, taking the apparatus, observing them and rearranging them. She was so preoccupied with doing so she didn't realise Bruce Banner when he entered the lab.

"Hello Dr Simmons," he greeted, and she was evidently startled by the way she jumped into the air.

"Bruce, hi! I'm such a fan of your work! I read your report on the effects of long-term radiation on the molecular structure of particles. Very excellent work," she beamed at him, extending her arm, yet there was a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"Thank you," he graciously returned the smile and grabbed her hand, shaking it.

"And I absolutely _love_ the way you lose control over your body and let a huge green monster take over!" she continued, now fake enthusiasm tinged clearly in her voice.

"Thanks..." he replied simply, without any further words or actions, earning a sly smile from the blonde lady.

After a fair amount of awkward silence, the gamma ray expert excused himself and left the lab, and Nicolette chuckled slightly before she turned back to her table. Just before she turned her back to the door, she saw a person out of the corner of her eye.

"That was pretty mean," he said with folded arms.

"Agent Clint Barton. Hawkeye. Were you watching me?" she asked with an amused smirk on her face.

"What can I say? I'm a professional spy," he replied with a shrug.

"What are you doing here, Clint?" she sighed. She wasn't in the mood for talking, and she just wanted to go back to work.

"Just to welcome you to the team" he answered with another shrug.

"Well, thanks, but if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work," she gave him a forced smile before she rolled her eyes and turned back to the table.

_._._._._.

By the time Tony Stark entered the lab, it was nighttime and Nicolette had nearly finished constructed a portable short-ranged electromagnetism detector.

"Hey there, sweet-cheeks. I'm Tony Stark," he said, smirking as he scanned his eyes over her entire body.

"Oh, please, Tony, I don't think anyone _doesn't_ know who you are. Unless they're living in a cave in the Himalayas with no human contact or TV," she scoffed. "But then again, I'm sure it's just a way to appear nice and humble to the ladies. Before you sleep with them, that is."

"Don't worry, I don't sleep with _all_ the ladies I meet...only about 72% of them. The other 28% are either married, or met after I started dating Pepper. Take you, for example.

"I feel a lot safer knowing that you're not gonna hit on me."

"Says who? I said I wasn't gonna _sleep_ with you. No one said anything about hitting on you."

Nicolette rolled her sky blue eyes before they landed on the detector. "Well, Tony, since you're here. You can help me with something," she smiled, walking over to the device. "I need to you to open this flap so that I can deposit that in the hatch." She pointed to a flap of metal with a handle before pointing to another smaller piece of metal.

"And you can't do this yourself because..." he trailed off and looked at her expectantly.

"Because I'm a girl and I can't do heavy-lifting. That and I can't chip my nails," she finished, showing him her perfectly manicured fingernails.

The billionaire rolled his eyes before examining the contraption Nicolette had constructed. He then took a closer look at the flap. "This is almost an inch and a half thick, there aren't any hinges, and you want me to _bend _it?" he asked, knocking on the metal flap.

"Yup! Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm a scientist, not an engineer! Why, Tony? Too hard?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

"Not at all. I could do it. If I wanted to, that is. But I'm too lazy to suit up right now. Although I do know someone who is able to pull it off, and he doesn't have to suit up to do so."

"Let me guess...the mighty Captain America?" she asked, though she already knew the answer and grabbed her purse, already halfway to the door.

"Be careful, he's really serious," Tony chuckled.

"Like everyone else on this ship?"

"More."

Nicolette looked a little surprised, before she composed herself. "It's okay, I can take him," she said as she put her hand on the door handle.

"Be sure to flirt with him while you're at it," Tony joked.

Nicolette whipped her head around, causing her wavy blonde hair to fly into the air. "Is that a dare, Tony?"

"May be," he shrugged.

"How much?"

"Twenty."

"You got yourself a deal," she winked at him.

"He's in room 147."

"Yeah, I know," she replied and abruptly left the room. Just in case, she increased the pace of her walking. After all, Tony didn't have to know that she stayed next door to Captain Rogers.

_._._._._.

Nicolette boldly rapped on the American hero's door, and it was soon opened, revealing the blonde man. She examined him carefully, almost in admiration. She was very impressed at his body, clearly seen with the tank top and shorts he was wearing. She had seen all his muscles in the files, but looking at them in person, so close that she could touch it...

She cleared her throat and rid her mind from the thoughts. "Steve Rogers. Hi. I'm Dr Nicolette Simmons," pursing her lips which were smeared with dark red lipstick.

"You're the one who can find the sphere?" he asked bluntly, raising his eyebrows.

"Supposedly, yes," she replied with a small sigh.

"Well, ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, as he put his arm to his waist and bowed firmly.

Nicolette nearly burst out laughing right there and then. She couldn't believe he had actually _bowed_ to her! It was completely ridiculous! She pursed her lips tighter before she composed herself and cleared her throat again."Trust me, Steve, the pleasure is all mine," she responded, as a devious smirk appeared on her face. Time to put her plan into action, and earn twenty bucks.

"I actually need some help with a device I built, Steve," she said gently as she put her hand on his shoulder. "And since I heard you're so...strong, and so helpful, I thought I could count on you to help me out a little." She used her forefinger to trace his collarbone down to his broad chest, where she ran the hand across it.

"I...uh..." he cleared his throat."It'd be an honour to help you, Dr Simmons," he said firmly with a nod.

"Really? Thank you so much, Steve! You're the best!" she cheered as she threw her arms around his neck and embraced him. When she pulled away she saw his face was completely red, and she smirked. "Come on," she urged as she twirled her arm around his and pulled him to the lab. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone - fantastic.

_._._._._.

"Mr Stark, I didn't think you'd be here," a still very red Steve said upon entering the lab.

"Captain," Tony greeted as he gave Nicolette a knowing smile.

"Here's the device, Steve, you think you'll be able to open that flap? Just a little bit will do, about half an inch," she said as she hugged his arm.

Steve nodded and gripped the handle, pulling it and bending the metal. Nicolette grabbed the small piece of magnetised metal and slotted in into the hole. Steve then pushed the metal back until it was back to normal.

After securing the flap with a lot of duct tape, she connected some wires and flipped a few switches. The device hummed as the screen turned on. Nicolette beamed at the reaction.

"Steve, you did it!" she exclaimed before reaching up and kissing him lightly on his cheek, making him even redder than before, if it was even possible.

"You're most welcome, Dr Simmons. So, what does it do?" he asked.

"Well, I inserted the metal which had only a 5% different electromagnetic level than the cosmic sphere. So if this is brought within a half a block radius of the sphere, we can locate it immediately. It's to be brought to battle, just in case the bad guys get a lead. Then we can use their information to own advantage," Nicolette briefly explained.

"Did you actually create it?" Tony asked.

"No, of course not. I got the blueprints online, and I just put it together easily."

"That's very smart of you," Steve smiled at her.

She returned the smile before looking at the wall clock. "Wow, it's so late already. I'm going to pack up then go to bed. Do you want me to walk you to your room?" she asked courteously.

Steve shook his head. "No, thank you. I should go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Dr Simmons. You too, Mr Stark," he said formally as he opened the door to leave.

Tony nodded at his words, but Nicolette smiled at him. "It was great meeting you, Steve!" she called out. He turned and nodded at her before disappearing into the corridors.

As soon as he left, the smile on Nicolette's face fell immediately, making it very clear that all the smiling was a charade. "Pay up, Tony," she said, extending her palm.

Tony placed the twenty-dollar bill in her hands. "That was really good. Even I was fooled," he said with a smirk.

"Thank you. I guess all that drama class in high school really paid off," she smiled to herself as she put the money in her purse.

"So, how was your first encounter with the super-soldier?" he asked, chuckling.

"Ugh. Don't get me started. Do you know he _bowed_ to me? He freaking _bowed_! Then he called me 'ma'am! Ugh, he's such a weirdo," she said, rolling her eyes. Tony laughed at her reaction, and she glared at him._  
_

"I was actually serious about going to bed, though. I'm pretty tired. You coming?" she asked as she grabbed her purse and opened the door.

"You go ahead, I'm not really all that tired," he shrugged.

"Just don't touch anything," she said before leaving the room.

* * *

**A/N And that's Chapter 2! It's longer than Chapter 1, yay! And Nicolette and Steve officially meet. :) I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for all the mistakes. It's pretty late, and I think I'm gonna go to bed now. I might edit it later on but for now I'm so sorry for all the errors. Well, thanks for reading! Drop a review, if you may. Thank you so much to all who favourited/put this on story alert. I love you guys! :)**

**~DBT**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry this is up so late! I kinda took a tumble and I had to treat my wounds for a while before I could get back to writing. But here's Chapter 3! Thank you all so much for reading! And for putting this on favourite/story alert. You guys are the bomb! A special thanks to RAHbooks for reviewing! Right, on with the story. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Chapter 3 of Opposites Attract.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Do you see her?" Steve asked as he took a bite out of his pancake and looked at his four other friends. The only person missing was Tony Stark, and he was late. Again.

"Nope, sorry. Why are you looking for her, anyway? No offense, but she isn't exactly the nicest person on this ship," Agent Barton replied. He could see everyone else in the cafeteria clearly, but Steve, on the other hand, could only see his friends, and the wall.

"Just tell me if you see her," Steve mumbled in response.

"Well, I see Agent Hill, she's with Coulson, but no sign of Dr Simmons," Dr Banner pointed out as he observed the cafeteria from the seat beside Clint's.

"Why do you wish to see her so desperately?" Thor boomed from next to the Captain.

"Shh! Not so loud!" he hissed, gesturing to lower his volume. He looked behind him to see if anyone had noticed and was glad to see that no one had. He turned back to the table and replied, "I just want to ask her something."

Natasha scoffed. "Yeah, ask her on a date," she muttered from the other side of Clint.

Steve was about to protest when Tony Stark, with his plate of food, pulled out the only empty chair and sat there. "Hey guys! Fantastic morning today! What are you talking about?" he asked as he dug in to his sandwich.

"Tony, have you seen Nicolette?" Steve asked, getting straight to the point.

"No. Maybe she's in her lab, I don't know," he replied with his mouth full. He quickly swallowed and added, "If this is about last night I think you should know it was a bet."

"Wait, what happened last night?" Bruce asked, looking from Steve to Tony in confusion.

"It was a bet?" Steve demanded, completely ignoring Bruce.

Tony casually took another bite out of his sandwich. "Yup. I paid her twenty to do it. And man, she was good. She fooled you so bad," Tony chuckled at him.

"Excuse me," Steve muttered as he stormed away angrily.

"If he is not returning, I would like his pancakes," Thor said.

_._._._._.

Steve marched through the corridors of the helicarrier until he reached the lab. He peered through the transparent window and saw Dr Nicolette Simmons working hard at the computer screens surrounding her.

He burst through the door and was met with a shocked look from the blonde lady. "It was a bet?" he demanded, his voice close to yelling.

"Sorry?" she asked as she looked at him, very confused.

"Stark told me that what happened last night was a bet. Was it or wasn't it?" he was shouting by now.

"No... It was a dare, not a bet. But yeah, what happened last night was all because of twenty dollars he gave me. Imagine that, free money!" she said cheerily, completely unaffected by his anger.

"You're disgusting. And to think, I was about to ask you out!" he shook his head in disbelief.

"You were going to ask me out? You thought what happened last night was real? God, Steve, I knew you weren't the brightest, but really, to think that anyone would want to flirt with _you_ is just so stupid!"

"What's wrong with me?" he asked, clearly taken aback.

"Are you serious? I could list a million things. You're not very bright, and I'm exaggerating that; you don't even know how to use a cellphone; you've never had sex, so I've heard from Tony. I can go on, if you want."

"No, I just...Excuse me," he said, obviously upset, as he left the room.

Nicolette rolled her eyes. "What a wimp," she mumbled before she went back to the computer screens.

_._._._._.

It was just after lunch when Nicolette decided to take a break and explore the huge ship. She was walking along the corridors when she found an open door and a familiar face taking down a dummy.

"Hi, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked as she walked into the gym.

"Not at all. I'm Natasha Romanoff," the redhead said as she took a seat on the bench next to the plastic dummy.

"I know. I read your file," Nicolette stated, taking a seat next to her. "Hey, can I call you Nat?" This was returned with the famous Black Widow death glare. "Well, Clint calls you that," she replied smugly. The death glare softened a little at his name, but it still remained there. "Fine, Natasha it is."

"Well, I actually prefer Agent Romanoff," Natasha said as the death glare stopped.

"Sorry, no can do. I don't do last names. Even for Nick," she replied with a casual shrug. Natasha didn't respond, and just sat there as she took some sips of water. "Hey, how are things between you and Clint?"

The redhead looked like she was just electrocuted, the way she suddenly jolted up. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Clint and I have nothing going on."

"Oh, but it seems like there is... Do I see two lovebirds?" the blonde teased as she nudged the redhead lightly.

"Love is for children," Natasha simply replied. Her eyes turned glassy as she quickly excused herself and went back to hitting the dummy, a significant amount harder than before.

Nicolette looked a little shocked. Had she said something wrong? Either way, she thought it would be better not to further upset the master assassin.

Nicolette walked out of the gym and back into the maze of corridors. She randomly walked around until she met a young agent.

"Hi there. I'm Dr Nicolette Simmons. I was walking around, and I kinda got lost... Do you think you could show me back to my lab?" she asked in her sickly sweet voice as she went up to him and stroked his arm lightly.

The young man burst into a wide grin. "I'd love to," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows and held out his arm for her to take.

"That's very sweet of you," she replied and the two made their way back to the lab.

Not long later, the electromagnetism expert and the SHIELD agent entered the lab, only to be greeted by Director Nick Fury. Of course, the agent, at the sight of him, panicked.

"Mr Fury, sir!" he saluted immediately.

"What, may I ask, are _you _doing here?" he glared at him with his one good eye.

"I-uh...That is...She-uh...You.." he spluttered, unable to get anything out.

"It's on me, Nick. I got lost, and this respectable agent here was so kind enough to bring me back," Nicolette gave him her best innocent smile, which looked very angelic, indeed.

"Agent, as you were," he told the young man, and he immediately scurried off. "Doc, status update."

"Well, we got this baby here: the Short-range Electromagnetic Detector. Or as I like to call it, SED. I'm also doing a scan over the entire world. It is currently... 19% complete," she replied, her face serious for the first time since she landed on the ship.

"How long is the scan going to take?" Nick Fury asked.

"Depends on our luck. Best case scenario, next square kilometer has the sphere. Worst case, it's in the last one we scan. Completion should reach 20% in about 3 hours."

"Is there any way you can speed it up?"

"Come on, Nick. The scan is the fastest possible with this technology. The Earth's surface area is over 510 million square kilometers! That's fricking huge!"

"Very well. Good job, Doctor," he said with his best attempt at a smile.

Just then, the alarm sounded, and Agent Maria Hill burst though the doors. "Sir, we have a problem. The Masters of Evil are attacking New York City."

* * *

**A/N And right now you hate me because of how it ended. I know, I know. And I'm sorry. But it just had to be done, really. I mean, if I had continued it to the fight scene, the chapter would be 3-4k words. And that's a really long chapter, even by my standards. So, I promise you, next chapter will be action-packed! Yeah! With everyone fighting! Including Nicolette? ...Maybe. You'll have to read on to find out. Sorry once again for the late chapter. And I didn't have much time to edit so could you live with the mistakes for now? So sorry, guys. I love you all, thanks for reading!**

**~DBT**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hey guys! Hope you are enjoying this story! Once again thanks to all of you who favourited, put this on story alert and to RAHbooks for reviewing. Here's the continuation of the previous chapter, which ended as a cliffhanger. Hehe…sorry about that. Okay, I know in the comics it's Zemo and Radiation Man and the Enchantress and a whole bunch of other villains, but for the sake of the story, let's just say it's just Zemo and his troops. Well, here's the awaited action-packed Chapter 4! Really sorry it's updated pretty late. School just started and homework's piling up. Sigh, well, I'll try to update when I can, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

_Recap: 'Just then, the alarm sounded, and Agent Maria Hill burst though the doors. "Sir, we have a problem. The Masters of Evil are attacking New York City." '_

* * *

"That's great!" Nicolette chirped. Both Maria and Fury gave her dirty looks, but she rolled her eyes. "It's not great that we're being attacked, but that we can use this SED. If the enemy has the sphere in their hands, this baby will detect it almost immediately."

"Agent Hill, see to it that this is safely put onto the Quinjet," Director Fury ordered.

"Awesome. I'll teach you how to work it," Nicolette said as she opened a panel to reveal at least 20 knobs and buttons.

"Sir, there isn't enough time. The jet leaves in 15 minutes," Agent Hill pointed out.

"Well, then, Doctor, you better suit up, because you're coming with us," Fury said and exited the room.

"But Nick! I don't have a suit, and I can't fight!" she protested.

"Do you know how to shoot?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Agent Hill, see to it that Dr Simmons has a suit. And a gun," he said, and quickly walked away.

"Yes, sir. It'll be delivered to your room in 2 minutes, Nikki. Jet leaves at 4.35. Don't you dare be late," Maria warned and walked away as well.

"Ugh. Forget it," Nicolette rolled her eyes before she stalked off to her room, her heels clacking on the hard floor.

_._._._._.

By 4.35, all the members of the Avengers initiative were gathered inside the Quinjet.

"Ready to go, everyone?" Steve Rogers asked as he stood up.

"We're still missing Dr Simmons, Cap," Bruce pointed out.

"Simmons? She's coming?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, didn't you get the text from Fury? Oh, right, you don't know how to use a phone," Tony said snarkily.

"Stark, I'm telling you, one more comment from you-"

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late, you guys," Nicolette walked through the entrance in her SHIELD uniform and checked that the SED was on the jet as well.

"Well, since we're all here, let's go!" Steve called, and the jet took off and headed for New York.

Nicolette took a seat beside Thor, and she looked at him. "Hi," she said simply.

"Hello, Earthling. I am Thor of Asgard," he responded as his words echoed around the cramped Quinjet.

Nicolette laughed at him, initially thinking that he was joking, but then realised he wasn't when he gave her a confused look. "Alright, okay," she said and cleared her throat. "Greetings, Thor of Asgard. I am Nicolette of Earth," she replied in an attempt to sound like him.

Thor's laughed boomed throughout the jet. "You Midgardians are so humorous," he said in between chuckles.

Nicolette gave him a look which was obvious that she was a little weirded out before standing up and going next to Tony. "Hey," she said.

"Wow, Simmons. I thought you actually weren't gonna show," Tony said.

"Come on, Tony, you know I have a thing for being fashionably late," she giggled. She then lowered her volume and murmured, "You know how Steve's last name is Rogers? Then if we're saying 'roger' to him, then wouldn't it be like, 'roger, Rogers'. It sound like what the droids say in Star Wars."

"Oh my God. Nicolette, you're a genius. We should totally do that," he replied.

"Do what, Stark?" Steve asked, walking up to them.

"Nothing," Nicolette smirked at him, which earned a confused frown from the captain.

_._._._._.

The jet swerved and swung in the air as it dodged the bullets and blasts coming from the ground. The team were thrown around as they tried to stay stable. Nicolette, because she had no experience and was so painfully thin, was thrown around the most, and was hurled right into Captain America.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked as he held her stable. Nicolette merely nodded and turned away, breaking free of his grip. Steve frowned but shook it off as he went towards the cockpit. "Land it in a safe area. We'll go on foot from there."

The pilots nodded before they swerved away from the battlefield and landed about 3 blocks away. They quickly unloaded the seven passengers before flying back to the helicarrier.

"Captain," Natasha said, signalling for him to give the orders.

"Right. Stark, Hulk, you take care of the ones who can fly. Take them out then help Romanoff and Barton with hostages. Thor and me will attack the ones on ground. Simmons, you find some place safe and track the sphere. Got that?" he told everyone firmly.

The team nodded, except for Nicolette, who smirked and said, "Roger, Rogers." She winked at Tony, who smiled back.

"What was that, Simmons?" Captain America asked.

"You wouldn't get it. It's a Star Wars pun. It came out in the 1970s, while you were in the ice," Nicolette explained.

"Is this the best time?" he demanded. She shrugged. The captain shook his head and told the team to go, and they immediately split up in different directions.

Bruce quickly hulked up and he and Tony started blasting and bashing the ones in the planes.

The Hulk jumped high into the air and grabbed onto one of the planes, using that to fling it into another one, causing a huge explosion. He then jumped up into the air once again and caused a few oncoming planes to crash into him before bashing several others.

Ironman was in the air as well, blasting all of the planes with his repulsor rays. Several mini-missiles appeared from the armour at his shoulder and exploded when they met contact with the planes.

Meanwhile, the police had arrived, and Hawkeye was working alongside them to help the citizens reach safety. The Black Widow was making sure that no one harmed them as well, shooting from her two pistols.

"Clint!" she called, as she spotted someone aiming at a citizen. She wanted to help, but she was busy fighting another two troops.

"Yup, got it, Nat. Thanks!" he replied as he looked at her while shooting the arrow, hitting the man in the chest, making him fall to the floor.

Thor was doing well as he threw his hammer, causing those who it hit to fall, then he would summon it back and another batch of troops would fall. And if the other troops got too close, he would use Mjolnir to conjure the lightning.

Captain America was also doing a lot of bashing with his very handy vibranium shield. Everywhere he turned he would be met by gunshots, which he would block, and more troops, which he would ram with his shield, though he would occasionally throw it.

Nicolette walked around aimlessly, the short-range electromagnetic detector in her hands as she travelled through alleys, hoping not to get caught in the middle of a fight.

She strolled along, without a place in her mind. Her eyes were glued on the device, and only seldom did she look up to check she didn't come face to face with a Master of Evil soldier.

Captain America and Thor were soon joined by Hawkeye and the Black Widow after they had successfully gotten everyone to safety and away from the fight. Ironman and the Hulk also joined then on the ground, and they stood in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.

"Something's not right. Zemo's not here. And doesn't anyone notice the army seems a little small?" Captain America asked the rest.

"Well, I guess we'll think about that later. For now we have at least fifty of these guys to take down, Cap," Hawkeye pointed out.

Suddenly, the Hulk started the attack as he used his huge fist to smash the people in its path. The rest took that as their cue to battle as well, Hawkeye firing arrows, Ironman blasting, Thor hurling Mjolnir, the Black Widow shooting, and Captain America charging with his shield.

Unfortunately for Nicolette, she had just come out an alley which led to the street where the main battle was taking place. She quickly turned around to the direction she came in, but not before a couple of Master of Evil troops spotted her and followed her.

They weren't the only ones who did, though, as Captain America muttered her name before fighting his way to trail her.

"Hey, there. Where do you think you're going?" they asked, their sinister eyes glinting.

Nicolette hurriedly put down the device and pulled out her gun, but her arms were shaking. "S-stay back! I-I've got a gun!" she warned, trying to sound as threatening as possible.

"Oh yeah? So do we," one said, and all of them took out their rifles. All of a sudden, all of them fell to the ground and revealed Captain America behind them.

"Steve!" Nicolette cried happily as she returned her gun to her holster and hugged him. "God, you saved my life. Thank you!" Then she abruptly realised who she was embracing and immediately pulled away.

Steve looked away and blushed before he saw a figure behind her. "Zemo!" he murmured and bolted in his direction.

"Hey! Steve, you're not supposed to leave the team like that!" she yelled, but he either didn't hear, or didn't bother to, as he continued secretly following Zemo.

Zemo...Zemo... Nicolette thought hard on where she had heard that name. It was in one of the files! He was the leader of the Masters of Evil, so technically, he would have the sphere. Nicolette smiled as she picked up the SED and followed Steve.

Finally, after trailing him, she saw him enter an abandoned warehouse. She tiptoed up to the walls and sliding along them, her eyes back on the screen of the detector.

She heard voices and she looked up. They were coming from around the corner, and from behind her as well. Desperate, she decided to save the SED first as she carefully hid it in a nearby shrub and tried to duck behind the bushes and crawl back to the entrance.

However, crawling in the bushes made a rustling sound and the troops found her. The next thing she knew, she was roughly chucked into the warehouse with Steve.

"Simmons, what on Earth are you doing here?" he hissed.

"One was to check if the sphere was here, the other was to try to get you back to the team," she said simply and honestly.

"And what about the-"

"It's safe. Don't worry," she interrupted. They both knew they were talking about the SED, and Nicolette didn't want the enemy to know about it.

The warehouse was now filling with troops, coming from both the main door and the tiny back door, and they surrounded the two.

"Captain America," a voice with a thick German accent greeted, with evil laughter following it.

"Show yourself, Zemo!" the superhero replied defiantly.

Suddenly, the crowd of troops parted and Baron Zemo came striding down. "Ah, finally, Captain, I can finally get rid of you. And your little girlfriend while I'm at it."

"Not his girlfriend!" Nicolette immediately protested.

"It does not matter. For you will still die," he replied with another round of evil laughter.

"I'm the one you want, Zemo. Leave the girl alone!" Captain America spoke up.

"I am afraid it does not work like that, Captain. Men, attack!" he commanded, and immediately the troops charged forward to battle the two.

Captain America retaliated by fighting as well, using both the gun and his shield, shooting, bashing, throwing, striking wherever he turned. Nicolette on the other hand, was trying her best to dodge, running to where the crates were kept, and hiding behind them, though she did attempt to fight back by firing her pistol.

"Simmons, what are you doing, get out of here!" the Captain bellowed over the awful din.

"You think I'm not trying?" she shouted back. She winced as a bullet grazed her shoulder, causing her black uniform to be stained with blood.

Another bullet whizzed past her head, and singed the ends of her hair. Her fearful look now changed tremendously as a very infuriated look replaced it. "You shot my hair. You _shot _my _hair_. That's it, you bastards are going down!" she cried and shot a few rounds, the men she shot falling like flies.

Sh stepped out of her hiding spot and continued shooting, defending herself as best as she could, constantly moving as well to avoid the bullets. She then joined Captain America at the heart of the fight, shooting alongside him and occasionally using the base of her gun to break a couple of noses.

It wasn't long until they started winning. The number of able-bodied troops was dropping at a more rapid pace with Nicolette now joining the battle. Zemo had realised this too, for he decided to jump into the battle.

He took out his knife, the double-edged serrated knife he had designed and charged with his men. He pushed his way through and waited for his opportunity. He finally saw one when Captain America turned his back on him to fight a couple more troops. The blade glinted in the light of the now setting sun and was about to lodge itself into the Captain's heart.

"Steve!" Nicolette cried as she saw what was going to happen. She quickly jumped in front of him and was stabbed in the side instead. The Captain quickly turned around and rammed Zemo's face with his shield, causing him to stagger backwards.

"Men, retreat!" he ordered as he clutched his face. The men immediately fell back and rushed through the doors of the warehouse. "I warn you, Captain. I will be back, stronger than ever. And I will destroy you, and your girlfriend!" Zemo called through his blood-stained hood.

"Not his girlfriend!" Nicolette protested once more before she cried out in pain.

"Let's get you back to the team," Steve said as he scooped her up and carried her bridal-style.

"Hey, hey! I got stabbed in the side, not the leg. I think I can walk perfectly fine!" she complained as she squirmed in his arms. He let her go, and she dusted herself off. She walked no more than 2 steps before a small cry escaped her lips and she stopped. She cleared her throat and continued, but it happened again.

"Come on," Steve sighed as he picked her up once again, but this time she did not protest. "We'll get you back to the helicarrier first, we'll clean this place up later."

Nicolette looked away, her expression defiant. Steve glanced at her before sighing once again and carrying her out of the warehouse and into the red setting sun.

* * *

**A/N Okay, guys. Here's the next chapter. I know it's a little late. Sorry about that. I wanted to update sooner but I didn't really get the chance to, because school just started. Well, I hope you liked it! I actually wanted to add some more but I think this is enough for now. I hope it was action-packed enough for you. Please review. I love you guys!**

**~DBT**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hey guys, one again, sorry for the late update. School's been pretty hectic, with the homework just piling up. And the Euro Cup 2012 going on, I've been staying up to watch the matches, so I've hardly had any time to type recently. But thank you all for being so patient with me, and being so awesome! A shout-out to RAHbooks and bookangel1624 for reviewing, you guys are the best! Right, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Stark, Barton, Romanoff? Can you hear me? Come in, anyone!" Steve tried talking into his communicator. "Damn! It's not working!"

They were now at the street where the Avengers had fought the troops just now. They went there in hopes of finding the rest, but all that was left of the place was dead bodies. He turned to the bleeding Nicolette.

"Hang in there, Simmons. Keep putting pressure on it," he reminded her. They had ripped off some cloth from a soldier's clothes and used it as a makeshift bandage.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers were out looking for them. They had won and wrapped up the battle more than half an hour ago, and it was safe to say they were terribly worried when they realized both Captain America and Dr Simmons was missing.

Tony was flying in the air, searching every alley and street, when Jarvis' voice came up. "Sir, I do believe I've found them. They're at the junction of 14th street and 9th Avenue, sir."

"Good job, Jarvis," Tony said as he heaved a sigh of relief and flew there, alerting the rest through his communicator.

"Stark, you're here. We were starting to worry," Steve said as he spotted the familiar red and yellow suit landing near him.

Tony took off his mask before glancing at Nicolette, his eyes wide with concern. "Fury, we need a Quinjet and a medical team here ASAP," he spoke into his communicator before looking at Steve. "What happened?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Where are the rest?" he asked.

"Simmons!" a feminine cry came. Natasha and Clint ran down the street to the trio.

"Have you called the medics down?" Barton asked Tony.

"Yeah, Fury's sending one down, along with a jet."

A moment later, Thor and Bruce arrived at the scene. Thor looked concerned, but was unsure of what to say, so he just stood awkwardly next to Barton.

A now clothed and hulked down Bruce, on the other hand, reacted without a second thought. He rushed to her side and immediately looked at her wound. After asking her several questions and examining it deeper, he came to a conclusion.

"Unfortunately, I'm unable to do much, because I don't have my tools, but I can tell you that luckily, the wound isn't very deep. The bleeding will still be pretty rapid until the blood clots due to the serrated blade, but no major muscles were penetrated," he reported.

The rest nodded in both understanding and relief as they waited for the jet to arrive. Suddenly, an alarmed cry came from Nicolette. "Guys -ah!- the SED. Shit, I -ack!- I left it at the warehouse! It's at the back, hidden...hidden in some bushes," she spoke, her voice rasped due to the pain. She tried getting up, but the pain was overwhelming and she lay back down.

"Stay here, Simmons, I'll get it," Steve volunteered as he grabbed his shield and bolted. Within the next ten seconds, he was gone.

He ran back to the warehouse at an extremely fast pace, much faster than most men could. After rummaging through the shrubbery there, he finally found the small metallic device. He caught his breath for a moment before he headed back to the team.

Meanwhile, two Quinjets had arrived. The medical team put Nicolette on a stretcher and carried her to one of them, but she stopped the halfway.

"Wait...wait for Steve," she groaned before looking at the medical officers with pleading eyes.

"Captain America. He went to get something, he should be back for a minute," Agent Barton explained to them as they looked at him in confusion.

Just in time, Steve arrived through one of the alleys and onto the street, carrying the detector. He went up to Nicolette, who was looking expectantly at him.

"Yeah, you got it!" she smiled, looking at the detector happily, but not giving a glance to the captain. "Just wanted to make sure it was safe. You can go now."

Steve stood there awkwardly with a little disappointment on his face, before he sighed and walked into the other jet where the other Avengers were heading. He carefully put the device safely in a corner and sat down, his shoulders slumped as he put his elbows on his knees and leaned on them.

The ride back to the helicarrier was uneventful for both jets as they few over the night sky, the sun setting just recently. All of them rode in silence, not wanting and not knowing what to say. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were back at the helicarrier.

Nicolette's jet had arrived first, and they quickly carried her to the medical bay. The Avengers' jet arrived soon after, and they got off and went to their rooms to have a hot bath before they had their dinner.

"So, have any of you heard from Simmons?" Steve asked over the dinner table, breaking the very awkward silence.

"No. But she's probably at the medical bay. We could go check on her if you like," Clint replied.

"Maybe after dinner," Steve replied, and the team went back to their uncomfortable quietness.

Dinner was over, and Steve did indeed visit the medical bay. She knocked on the door and opened it to see Nicolette sitting on the bed, with the doctor asked her questions.

"Captain Rogers, we were just finished up. She'll be out in a minute," the doctor said, and asked her a few more general questions about how she was feeling, before he left the room, leaving Steve with her in the room.

Nicolette was looking a lot better, much more refreshed. She was no longer covered in sweat, her SHIELD uniform was now replaced with jeans, a tube top and a jacket.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Steve asked as he sat next to her on the bed.

"Fine," she simply replied.

"Have you had dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Are you in a lot of pain?"

"No."

A silence fell over them before Nicolette got up and exited the room, leaving Steve with a puzzled look once again. He shook his head and vacated the room as well. He knew where to find her, after all, where she always was.

He entered the white lab and found her looking at the screens with her jacket off, revealing the shoulder wound she was trying to hide. "You should get that treated," he said.

Nicolette jumped at the sound of his voice. She then gave him a glare and sighed. "I don't need to. It's just a small cut," she simply replied. The first sentence she said to him which wasn't only one word.

"It's either you treat it now or I tell the medical team."

Nicolette rolled her eyes before she grabbed the First Aid box on the shelf and opened it. She took out a bottle of the antiseptic lotion and several cotton sheets. She poured the liquid onto the sheets and was about to apply them to her shoulder wound, but Steve stopped her.

"Here, let me help you."

"No," she replied simply, turning away.

"What? Why?" he asked, frowning.

"This is all your fault. If you hadn't gone off to go and fight Zemo, I wouldn't have gotten injured at all," she retorted accusingly.

Steve looked a little taken aback, then he looked away and muttered, "You're right. I'm sorry." Then after a moment's silence he stated. "Come on, let me help, I'll make it up to you."

"I told you, no. I don't need your help."

"Come on, I think-"

"You've done enough damage for one day," she told him sternly, and turned away so that her back was facing him.

Nicolette huffed indignantly before she put on the antiseptic onto her shoulder. But because she wan't in a very good position, and she had to crane her neck to do so, every time the cotton sheet touched the wound she would wince and pull back before doing it again.

Finally, Steve decided to step in despite Nicolette pushing him away. "Here," he said as he took the sheet from her fingers.

"I thought I told you-" she began, but was silenced by a firm and determined look from Steve. She sighed and looked away as Steve applied the lotion onto her.

This time she wasn't in as much pain, as Steve was very careful and gentle about it, making sure there was as little pressure possible. He gently slid the moist cotton sheet over the wound and before they knew it, Steve was done, and Nicolette had hardly felt any pain.

"All done," Steve declared with a smile.

"Okay," Nicolette merely nodded and packed up the box, returning it to the shelf.

"What, no 'thank you'?" Steve asked with a frown.

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you hadn't helped, like I told you to," she responded with an upset look. She grabbed her phone and put it in her pocket before she slung her jacket over her arm.

"I'm going to bed. See you," she called and exited the room. It had been a long day, and she needed her rest.

* * *

**A/N Ugh... I know, this chapter was disappointing. I'm sorry. I'm currently suffering from both writer's block and mild depression - because Germany lost Euro Cup semi-finals! I'm pretty bummed about it. But hey, next chapter I promise it'll be better. Hopefully my writer's block would be cured by then. :) Well, leave a review, thanks for reading!**

**~DBT**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! I really wanted to do this sooner, believe me, but I really couldn't, so my apologies. My writer's block is semi-cleared, and so I could write better for this chapter. Thank you once again to all who favourited/put this on story alert. And to those who reviewed: RAHbooks, bookangel1624 and Jayc Black, thank you so much! It really made my day and inspired me to keep on writing this story. Moving, on, I hope you guys enjoy Chapter 6 of Opposites Attract!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"_Hey Nikki," a sickly-sweet voice came from behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was, but I did anyway._

"_Hello Gabby," I replied, turning to face my mortal enemy, her two sidekicks and her football-playing boyfriend who did just about everything she said._

"_Is that a new bag, because it's hideous!" one of her friends mocked, earning laughter from the rest._

_I shrugged and turned around. I was so close to leaving the school bully-free today. Just cross the road and I would be fine. I was already in the field, and the gravel on the floor crunched as I tried to walk away._

"_Leaving so soon, Nikki?" she asked, running in front of me to stop me._

"_Yeah, I have to study," I replied, gesturing to the thick chemistry textbooks I was holding. Being your typical science nerd, I would always carry my textbooks. Those textbooks were usually meant for a few grades higher, but I liked to be a few steps ahead._

"_No you don't," her boyfriend sneered as he knocked the books out of my hands. I immediately bent down to pick it up. Not a smart move, because he took advantage of my position and kicked me at my left side, making me fall onto the gravel ground._

_The area where he kicked stung and it didn't help that Gabby dug her heel into my shoulder as well. I curled into a ball, tears threatening to fall down my face. _

_I looked up and saw Gabby standing over me, her pointed shoe sticking out and about to kick me right in the left side, where her boyfriend had kicked me previously as well. I closed my eyes, anticipating the hit. It was just about to land, when-_

Nicolette woke up panting, and drenched in cold sweat. Both her wounds were stinging, as she clutched the sheets on her bed. "It was just a dream, Nicolette. Just a distant memory... You are not that meek little girl anymore, you're no longer bullied..." she muttered, consoling herself.

She sighed, rolling onto her right side and carefully sat up on her bed. She was really lucky that both the wounds were on her left side, so that rolling onto her other side wasn't too much of a problem.

She looked at the digital clock on her bed-side table as she grabbed the glass of water beside the former. 7.30, it read. She hadn't planned on leaving the room any earlier than 8, so she would just linger there.

She started to stretch, but felt the throbbing pain of her wounds returning. Grabbing the painkillers the doctor had prescribed, she quickly swallowed the pills and lay down on her bed, waiting for the pain to ebb away.

Once the agony was bearable enough, she quickly got ready for the day, changing into clothes that would hide her shoulder wound well, such as a T-shirt, and a mini-skirt.

She put on her glasses, too lazy to put on her blue contacts at the moment, so her eyes were now their original hazel colour. She glanced at the clock again. 7.45, so she had 15 more minutes to kill.

She shrugged. Perhaps now she could use the time to practise her flute. She took the rectangular box and opened it, revealing her flute. She unlocked the door and looked around the corridor, making sure no one was around. Preferring nobody to know she played, the flute, she kept it secret. It would make her look too much like a nerd, and she was not going back there.

She silently closed the door as she spread the sheet music on her bed. She took a deep breath, put the mouthpiece to her lips and started playing.

_._._._._.

Steve got up at 7, and had gone to the gym to exercise. Being at the helicarrier, he hadn't done very much. None of the Avengers had done much, either, except when they fought the Masters of Evil, of course. That was why he spent most of the time either in his room, in the lab, or in the gym. But mainly in the gym.

By 7.30, he had released all his pent-up rage caused by the one and only Dr Nicolette Simmons. There was just something about her which made her so infuriating, yet something about her that made him want to help her.

He still remembered when Stark was pushing all his buttons, but now they established they were on the same team, so he was a lot less annoying.

After breaking a punching bag or two, he headed back to his room and took a hot bath. Coming out of his bathroom in fresh new clothes and soaking hair, he made his way to his bed. He sat on his bed and grabbed his small towel, drying his hair, as he looked at the wall clock. 7.45, it read.

It took about 5 minutes to dry his short blonde hair before he went out of his room to meet his fellow Avengers for breakfast at 8. He took one step out of his room and heard a familiar melody. Beethoven's Sonata No. 14, his favourite. And on the flute, one of his favourite musical instruments. He simply must go and compliment the person playing it.

The music came from the room beside his, and he looked at the name card beside the wooden door. 'Dr Nicolette Simmons'. He was stunned. How had he not known that Nicolette stayed next door to him?

He turned the door knob and opened the door. "Nicolette?" he asked.

Nicolette jumped up, evidently startled. "God, Steve! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she demanded as she whipped off her glasses. No one was supposed to see her with her glasses on - it was humiliating! Glasses were for nerds!

"Oh, right, sorry," he said sheepishly as he closed the door behind him. Glasses? He never knew Nicolette wore glasses. His eyes sparkled in interest. "I didn't know you play the flute," he said in curiosity.

"Yeah? Well there are a lot of things you don't know about me," Nicolette snorted as she used a piece of tissue to wipe the mouthpiece and returned the flute to its case.

"Was that Sonata No. 14?"

"Yeah, or more commonly known as the Moonlight Sonata."

Steve beamed. "That's my favourite classical piece."

"That's _your_ favourite piece? No, no, not possible."

"What? Why not?" he frowned.

"Because that's _my _favourite," she answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, I still don't get it. Why can't we have to same favourite?"

"Because I'm me, and you're you. I'm all awesome, while you're all inferior, and not smart," she smirked.

"What's your problem, Simmons?" he demanded. Nicolette looked a little astonished at the question. "Ever since we've gotten back from the mission, heck, ever since I came onto this ship you've been lashing out at me non-stop. So, what's your problem?" he repeated.

"My problem? My problem is you. I mean, did being in the ice freeze all your brain cells or something? Were you always this dumb?" she replied in mock curiosity.

"You're hopeless, Simmons," he said as he opened the door and walked out of the room.

"Me? Really? I'm not the one who thought the Lord of the Rings was a monarch!" she called out before she slammed the door and flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulders indignantly.

She smirked and waited for the feeling of superiority to come over her. But it never did. Frowning, she cocked her head to the side in confusion. That feeling would always come when she put another person down.

But it was not present now. Instead, there was this horrible feeling inside of her. She felt...ashamed? No, that wasn't the word for it. It was a feeling that made her want to throw up, a feeling which was gnawing at her, which made her want to apologise immediately.

Guilt, she realised. That feeling was guilt.

_._._._._.

After a long days' work, Nicolette decided to go back to her room. That day was particularly tiring, she thought. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of it, the guilt would always be at the back of her mind, reminding her of what she did that morning. She wanted to say sorry to him so badly, but she couldn't. It was too embarrassing, she concluded.

Sighing, she unlocked the door, opened it and went inside her room. No sooner had she flung her purse on the bed than there came a knock on the door. Surprised, she opened it and came face-to-face with none other than Captain Rogers.

"Steve," she greeted, clearly surprised.

"Hi Nicolette. I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he blurted out immediately, as his head hung in regret.

"You? Sorry? For what?" she shook her head in bewilderment.

"You know...this morning. I guess I lost my temper a little and started shouting at you, then stormed off. And I should've knocked in the first place. I'm sorry. I only came to compliment you on your skill," he admitted.

"I-uh..." Nicolette started, but decided to not say anything in the end as she clamped her mouth shut and gave him a small nod.

"So...I'm forgiven?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll think about it," she said, looking away. She was about to close the door, but he stopped it.

"Hey, before I go, couldn't I ask you a question?" he asked with a small smile and that glint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Go ahead," she returned with a weak smile.

"Do you wear glasses?"

"What?"

"This morning, I saw you wearing glasses while you were playing. Are those your reading glasses or something?"

"No...I mean, yes. I mean...I-uh..."

"If this makes you uncomfortable I could ask someone else. Does Stark know? I could-"

"No! Don't tell anyone about me wearing glasses!" she interrupted. After biting her bottom lip, she quickly pulled him into the room, closed the door and locked it. She turned to him with a very serious expression. "Do you really want to know?"

Steve nodded earnestly. "I promise I won't tell anyone," he said, crossing his heart.

"Good," she replied as she took a seat on the bed, gesturing for him to follow suit. She then took out the coloured contact lens from her eye.

"That's a contact lens! And your eyes aren't naturally blue," Steve stated.

"Well, no duh, Captain Obvious," Nicolette replied, rolling her eyes.

"Wait, why don't you want anyone else to know?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Because, if word gets out that I have myopia, especially at such a young age, it'll make me look like a freaking nerd!"

"No, it won't! How old are you, anyway?"

"I just turned 29 a month ago."

"I'm 30."

"Yeah, I know. I read your file, remember?"

"Right."

An awkward silence fell over them for a few minutes before Nicolette stood up.

"I think it's time for you to go. It's been a long day," she said.

"Yeah. Sorry for coming over uninvited, but thanks for sharing that with me," he said with a smile.

Her lips pursed into a thin line. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you," she said seriously, opening the door.

"Well, goodnight, Nicolette," he said with a small bow.

But Nicolette just rolled her eyes and closed the door, locking the American soldier out.

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**A/N Once again, guys, I'm sorry for the late update. I'll try to update ASAP, but like I said, with school, and homework, I might have to put this on hold for just a little while. Please review, I love you all!**

**~DBT**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Bad new, guys. My writer's block has returned. Nooooo! But I'll try my best to keep on writing, just don't expect too much from the upcoming chapters, alright? And again, thank you to those who favourited. It really makes me happy when I check my e-mail and see that there is a list of people adding this story to their favourite/story alert list! And to those who reviewed, thecatchisdeadliest, bookangel1624, RAHbooks and Jayc Black. And to the anonymous reviewer, Guest, thank you to you too.** **Right, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

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"Hi Steve."

"Nicolette."

"Nice weather we're having, huh?"

"Yeah, especially when we're up in the sky."

"Uh, I gotta get back to the lab. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, bye, Nicolette."

This was what happened between the two during the next few days in the helicarrier. No sharing of secrets, no fights, no fluctuating amounts of animosity. Just small talk and awkwardness.

But of course, all things had to change, and it so happened that it happened on exactly the same day Nicolette's nightmares of the past returned.

_._._._._.

_It was raining, and the trees were pounding heavily on my window as the dark clouds covered the night sky. Then, I heard a crash. Being the curious girl I was, I opened the door and heard yelling._

_"...and you come back here, begging for my freaking forgiveness!" it was a woman's voice - Mom's voice._

_"Listen, Lizzy, we can talk this out-" I was surprised. I thought Mom had forbade Dad to ever come back here after he cheated on her like that._

_"No! What the hell do you think you're playing at? We have a family! We have a 12-year-old daughter for God's sake!"_

_"But wait, listen to me-"_

_"No. I told you. Now get out of my house!" _

_"_Your_ house? This house is just as much mine as it is yours! You can't tell me to get out like that!" Dad shouted back. Oh boy, now he was mad. That wasn't good - Dad gets very scary when he's mad. _

_I know what I should have done. Either one of these two things - run downstairs and calm them down, or went back inside my room and try to forget it. __But if I went downstairs, Dad might take his anger out on me. And what kind of child would I be if I just ran away? __So I did the stupidest thing - stay there and listen to Mom getting abused. _

_"I can do whatever I want you -slap!- stupid woman! -slap!- You don't have any right -slap!- to tell me what I can do! -slap!-" he cried furiously._

_"I'll call the police..." she threatened, but I could hear her voice quivering in fear._

_"You wouldn't _dare_."_

_"I would..."_

_"That means you hadn't learned your lesson!" he bellowed before delivering another round of attacks to her._

_Tears were now streaming freely down my face at a never-ending speed. I couldn't take it anymore. I crept back to my room as silently as possible before closing the door. Jumping onto my bed, I buried my face in my pillow and sobbed some more._

_I didn't know what to do, so I did the thing which I knew how to do well - study. I got up from my pathetic slump before I dragged myself to my study table and opened my physics textbook. Drowning myself in studies came naturally, and soon all the concepts and equations were filled in my head until I thought it would explode._

_Gaining the courage, I opened the door again to hear the crying of Mom downstairs. I crept down the winding staircase to see what had happened. "Mom..?" I gasped as I saw ripped pieces of paper on the floor, joined by shards of ceramic plates and bowls._

_I heard a noise behind me. It was Dad, and he looked so angry. "Why you little-"_

_._._._._.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Nicolette shot up in her bed. Her face was streaked with salty tears, and her pillow was damp with them too.

The knock came again. "Nicolette?" a voice came. Even if she couldn't recognise it, she knew it was him as he was the only person, apart from Maria, who called her Nicolette.

She quickly slipped on a robe and tied the belt firmly at her waist before opening the door. "Hey, Steve," she said.

"Nicolette...have you been crying?" his initially eager face quickly morphed to that of concern.

"It's nothing...Just accidentally poked my eye while putting on my contacts," she lied. It came naturally to her, but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty at lying to him.

"Okay..." he replied. He bought the lie, but just barely. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to join me and the rest of the Avengers for breakfast."

"Oh...I don't eat breakfast. I don't see the point of it. I mean, why would I need energy for the day if I just slept 10 hours," she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Although she did leave out the part about her eating only two small meals a day so she wouldn't grow fat.

"What? But breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Steve protested.

Nicolette looked at him with a steely gaze. "I can do whatever I want! I have the right of freedom! Remember, 21st century."

"We had rights of freedom back then too!" he retorted.

"Yeah, right," she said sarcastically.

"What's wrong with you, Nicolette? Why do you always look at the dark side of the world?" he questioned.

"There's a light side of the world?" Nicolette asked in mock surprise. Steve gave her a look before she rolled her eyes. "Oh Steve, sweet, naive Steve...the only side of the world there is is the dark side."

"No! There's always-"

"God, wake up, Steve! The world is dark and cruel! If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it!" Nicolette interrupted, raising her voice. She panted slightly from the small outburst before taking a sharp intake of air. "There is no light side, Steve. And you better believe it."

With that, she turned back into her room and closed the door, locking a very stunned Steve outside. But he merely huffed and walked away to the cafeteria.

After grabbing some food, he sat down at his regular table with his team members. "Sorry guys, but Nicolette won't be joining us today," he said with a sad sigh.

"Oh, really?" Tony said, giving him an amused look before he whipped out his phone. His fingers quickly flew over the keyboard and sent a text message before putting his phone back in his pocket.

_._._._._.

Meanwhile, Nicolette was in her room, lying on her bed, and reflecting on what had just happened. Over the past few days, Steve and her had gotten pretty close. They hardly saw each other, yes, but they never fought. And that was something she was proud of. Until now, that is.

They were just like magnets, she realised. They would have no quarrel with each other while they were a suitable distance away. But when they got closer to each other, the magnetic rays would make it such that the two magnets would repel each other. And no matter what, they would always repel.

After that, she thought about what it would be like if her life was a soap opera. She did that sometimes, just to add a little drama and flavour to her life. A distant look appeared in her eyes as she imagined what would happen.

In the midst of a heated dispute they would start yelling at each other, and their eyes would be filled with rage and fury. Their faces inches apart as they argued in each others' faces. But then, suddenly, they would start kissing. They would engage in a battle for dominance through their kiss, as she would ram him into the wall. They would occasionally break apart for a short while as they caught a breath of air before resuming. Their tongues were-

A short tune from her phone broke her out of her reverie. Flipping her phone open, she saw a text message.

_Still holding a grudge against Rogers?_ - it came from Mr Stark, who was presently having an omelette in the cafeteria.

_Mind your own business, Tony._ - she replied, rolling her eyes before she dumped it onto her bed. Glancing at the clock, she decided it was time to get back to work.

* * *

**A/N Like I said, I'm suffering from writer's block. I'll try watching the Avengers again, that should help, even if it's just a little. I know this chapter was a little short compared to the others, but I'm trying to gear ya'll up for the huge battle! It's coming up, probably in the next chapter, or the one after. Well, I hope all of you enjoyed it! Please review and favourite.**

**~DBT**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Hey guys! Firstly, I would like to apologise for this really late update. I guess school's been too hectic, and I've been trying to pull my grades up by studying, so I didn't really have that much time on my hands. So sorry about that. Anyway, thanks to those who favourited this story/put this story on your alert list. And to those who reviewed - RAHbooks, bookangel1624, thecatchisdeadliest, Jayc Black - thank you guys so much! And so, without further ado, I present Opposites Attract Chapter 8.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Nicolette ran through the corridors, her blonde hair flying and her bare feet gathering dirt. She stopped when she spotted a familiar face. "Bruce, have you seen Nick?" she asked in between pants.

"Fury?"

"Yeah. Nick, Fury, whatever. Have you seen him?" she urged, her heart still beating rapidly.

"No, sorry," Bruce replied with a frown and a shake of his head.

"Nevermind. Thank you, though!" she called before she took a deep breath in and continued running aimlessly.

She quickly turned the corner and came face to face with Agent Maria Hill. "Nikki! Watch where you're going! You shouldn't be running around on the ship," she chided her cousin.

"Sorry, Maria. But I really need to see Nick right now," Nicolette explained hurriedly, catching her breath.

"He's in a meeting with the council, it's very important!" Maria hissed.

"I found the sphere, I think the meeting can wait," Nicolette tapped her foot impatiently.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Follow me," she said firmly and started brisk-walking. "And do I want to know why you're not wearing any shoes?"

Nicolette kept up with her and gave her a shrug. "You can't run in heels," she explained casually with a cheeky smirk on her face.

Not long later, they arrived outside a room, and Agent Hill stopped, looked at Nicolette and firmly said, "Fury's in this room, but I suggest you don't enter. Like I said before-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. He's in an 'important meeting'," Nicolette replied with air quotes and a mocking voice. She rolled her eyes and then boldly entered. "Hey, Nick!"

"-And I strongly suggest..." Fury trailed off as he turned and looked at Nicolette. "Yes, Dr Simmons?"

"I found the sphere!" she said excitedly.

"Well, councilmen. I have very important business to attend to. We'll resume this meeting another time. Good day," Fury nodded at the council members before he cut the connection. Turning back to Nicolette, there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Well, Dr Simmons, lead the way."

Nicolette burst into a big smile. "Gladly," she said as she smirked at Maria and skipped her way back to the lab.

Upon arriving at the lab, Nicolette immediately showed Nick Fury one of the screens, the one where the results were displayed, flashing in red. "It's in the Himalayas," she said.

"It's _where_?" Fury asked as he glared at the screen.

"One of the caves in the Himalayas," Nicolette repeated. "It's a little extreme, but you want the sphere or not?"

Fury sighed and turned to Maria. "Agent Hill, could you gather everyone at the conference room?" he asked, as Nicolette picked up her phone and twiddled with the buttons.

"Already on it, si-"

"Actually, no need for that. I already sent texts to Tony, Clint, Natasha and Bruce. You get Thor, and I'll get Steve?" Nicolette offered, butting in as she put her phone back in her pouch. Agent Hill nodded as the two relatives got prepared to leave.

"Very well. Agent Hill, Dr Simmons, we'll meet you there," Fury nodded at each of them before promptly walking out.

_._._._._.

Nicolette walked down the corridors, but this time she knew where she was going. She knew very well where Steve was, after all. She smiled as she turned the corner and peeked through the small window of the door.

She could see Steve attacking the punching bag, his belongings on the bench beside, him, along with his shirt. Emitting a gasp, she admired his well-toned body. Every muscle moved so well, and he had so much control over his own body. When he delivered a blow to the punching bag, the impact would ripple throughout his entire body and-

Nicolette stopped and reprimanded herself. What kind of thoughts were that? She despised him, mocked him, put him down, and now she was admiring his body? She turned her head and humphed before bursting through the doors of the gym. "Steve!" she called.

"Simmons!" he cried, surprised, as he stopped assaulting the punching bag and turned to face her.

"Fury's called everyone in for a meeting. Conference room. Now," she nodded towards the door, but couldn't help looking at his bare chest, his muscles, all so well-toned, so firm.

Steve nodded and blushed as he followed her gaze and realised she was staring at his bare torso. Clearing his throat, he quickly dabbed his sweaty body dry before putting on a T-shirt and gathering his belongings. And with that, he turned back to Nicolette with a serious expression. "Let's go."

_._._._._.

"Captain Rogers, Dr Simmons, how nice of you to join us," Fury said as he gestured to the empty seats. As they sat down, Nicolette noticed everyone was there, which made her wonder how long they had taken.

"As I was saying, I had several agents scout the area, to see if there were any potential threats. Unfortunately, due to the cold, infrared and heat sensors were unable to pick up anything. And the cave the sphere is in is around the area which is very prone to avalanches," Fury continued, glancing discreetly at Bruce.

Not as discreet as he thought, because Bruce butted in. "So you're saying I can't hulk up?" he asked.

"Frankly, yes. And the rest of you must be very careful not to set any of them off," Fury continued. The team nodded silently, as he scanned each of their faces. "Dr Simmons, have you instructed Stark how to work your little gadget?"

"Yup. He went on a full crash-course the other day," Nicolette assured with a nod.

"Very good, you're dismissed."

"With all due respect, sir," Steve interrupted just as Nicolette stood up. "Dr Simmons is very skilled with a gun, and she could come with us."

"No, I'm not! Nick, don't listen to him! I'm _horrible_ with guns," she protested immediately as she glared at Steve.

"Well, he's got a point, and having you around would help us detect the sphere...Dr Simmons, you're coming with us," Fury concluded, completely ignoring Nicolette's previous statement.

"No, I can't go because I-uh...I'm still injured! Ow..." she moaned in mock pain.

"Dr Simmons, cut the act," Fury said sternly.

"Fine, I'll go," she sighed and slumped back onto her seat. She was a good actress when she wanted to, but she was freaking out, and all her acting skills would crash and burn when she was in panic.

"Glad to have you on the team," Steve whispered from beside her. She turned and glared at him for a few seconds before turning back to Fury.

"...We'll send a Quinjet down to here, you get off here, and the mouth of the cave is here, got it?" Fury continued, pointing to various locations, though not far apart, on the map. "Any questions?"

Th team members looked at each other, shaking their heads, before turning back to Fury. "Good, suit up. Jet leaves in twenty minutes. Agent Hill, can you check that the crew will be ready by then?"

"Yes, sir," Maria nodded and strode out of the room. The Avengers also walked out of the room in silence, splitting up to go to their respective rooms.

* * *

**A/N So how was it? Worth the wait? I certainly hope so! The next chapter will definitely be more exciting, with the team finding the sphere! Well, I hoped you liked it! Thank you all for reading and please leave a review! I love ya'll!**

**~DBT**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Hello guys! I'm so sorry I couldn't update earlier! I really wanted to, but I couldn't due to work and stuff. Thank you to those who put this on alert and favourited! And to those who reviewed - RAHbooks, bookangel1624, Jayc Black and thecatchisdeadliest - thanks so so much! Well, the much-awaited Chapter 9 is finally here!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"This is why you should never trust Fury," Tony Stark muttered, which earned a glare from both the SHIELD agents.

"Simmons, you got anything?" Rogers asked as he turned to her.

Nicolette looked up from her device and shook her head. "It only works within half a block's radius. And right now the sphere's too far away to track…" she trailed off as a thought suddenly came into her head.

"Well, then it's no use coming here, I'll call a jet, and we can finally get out of the cold," Hawkeye said.

"Wait, hold up, I think there may be a way… I could lower to sensitivity level of the detector, but by doing so I could increase the radius. It's a possibility, but it might not work," Nicolette explained.

"It should, considering the fact that we're not too far away," Natasha added.

Nicolette immediately sat down on the ice and started turning knobs, pushing buttons, and tapping on the screen. After a few moments of tension, anticipation and impatience, Nicolette stood up with the SED.

"Alright, come on, baby, please work," she breathed as the screen turned on. A beeping sound was soon heard from it. "That way," she pointed to her right, beaming proudly.

_._._._._.

"This is the entrance to the cave," Nicolette said hesitantly. "But it's covered in snow…"

"That's a good thing. It means that it's probably not in use, and there's no one waiting to ambush us in there," Captain Rogers pointed out.

"Who would want to do that?" she asked, shocked.

"Maybe evil villains who are trying to kill us?" Natasha responded bluntly, earning another shocked look from the blonde.

"Uh, guys? There may be more than just snow here," Hawkeye butted in as he uncovered a small patch of snow to reveal a black solid surface beneath.

After quickly removing all the snow, a door was uncovered. All of them looked at Captain America, to see what his call would be.

"Okay, guys. On 3, we open it. Stark, Thor and I'll go in first. Romanoff, Barton, you're next. Banner, you stay with Simmons. Keep her safe," he commanded. They immediately got into their respective positions and Steve gave the cue.

The doors opened, and Steve immediately put his shield up. Just in time, too, as bullets came hurling at the team. Ironman shot a few blasts at the enemy, earning grunts from them as they fell to the floor.

"The Masters of Evil!" Steve shouted, recognizing the uniform, as a look of realization came over him. "That only means…"

"I hope you did not miss me too much, Captain," Baron Zemo laughed as he emerged, a machine trailing behind him. A gasp was emitted from Nicolette's mouth as she noticed the sphere as the machine's power source. "I see you noticed the sphere. It is a very good energy source, especially when a weapon of mass destruction like this needs that much energy."

"You're using the sphere to power a weapon?" Nicolette asked incredulously.

"Ja, indeed. But unfortunately, you won't be able to witness the world falling down due to this machine, because you will now die!" Zemo said with another round of evil laughter. "Men, attack!"

The Avengers were outnumbered more than twenty to one, and these men were significantly more elite than those they fought back in New York, but the Avengers still put up a fight. Everyone was giving their all, even Bruce and Nicolette, who were provided guns by SHIELD.

The team was using almost the same strategy back in New York, but the space now was a lot smaller, and they had to be careful not to cause too much vibration, in order to prevent avalanches. Though losing at first, they pressed on and managed to get the upper hand.

Almost all of the men were knocked out, and the rest didn't put up much of a fight. Zemo sat at the controls of destructive weapon, and started charging it.

"Guys, we gotta get out of here, he's gonna use the machine!" Steve ordered as he realized what Zemo was doing.

"Leaving so soon, Captain?" Zemo asked menacingly as he maneuvered the machine to block the cave's only exit and stopping the team.

"Last time we met, you were the one running away," Captain Rogers pointed out with a serious face, but the smugness was plain in his voice.

"We'll see who is the one running away now!" Zemo snarled angrily beneath his hood and fired the machine.

Captain Rogers held up his shield and the blast was reflected against it, striking the wall of the cave instead. Gritting his teeth, he aimed at the American hero, only for it to be deflected once again. From the corner of his eye, Zemo spotted Hawkeye aiming at him from the other side of the cave, so he turned the machine slightly and shot a blast in his direction.

Fortunately, he jumped out of the way just in time, but he stopped aiming for the hooded man. The others tried their luck, but they, too, were aimed at, and were unable to get anywhere near him for an attack.

Zemo smirked from behind his hood and aimed at Nicolette. She stood rooted there, paralyzed in shock and fear. Steve immediately ran towards her, but they both knew he wouldn't make it in time to both jump in front of her and deflect it. Desperate, he threw his shield at Nicolette, causing her to fall down from the impact and miss the blast.

This was exactly what Zemo had anticipated, for he turned the weapon back at Rogers and shot. Steve dived onto the floor to both duck and retrieve his shield from the ground. A string of German curse words escaped from his mouth as he sent another, much stronger blast at him. The captain held up his shield once again, and the shot was diverted once again. However, it didn't go to the wall as it did before. Instead, it cut through the air and flew a short distance to hit Nicolette squarely in the arm.

Captain America glanced at the wounded Nicolette now a crumpled heap, clutching her arm, and a surge of anger passed through him. He charged at Zemo, sitting behind the control panel, and skillfully reflected the blasts coming his way. And with a determined shout, he tackled the German off his seat and onto the ground.

He threw his shield aside and angrily started punching Zemo ruthlessly. Blood stained his hood but the super soldier didn't stop. Not even when Zemo gripped his dagger and stabbed Steve's side with it.

"Captain!" Natasha called, and it snapped him back to his senses. He got off Zemo and stood up, hurling him up as well. He twisted his enemy's hands behind his back and rammed him into a wall before Natasha helped handcuff the villain.

She, along with Clint, then escorted him outside to call and wait for a Quinjet. Steve turned around to see Thor's shocked face, and Stark's approving one.

"Wow, Cap, I'm impressed, I didn't know you had that in you," he chuckled.

"Zip it, Stark!" he snapped back in a no-nonsense tone, and approached Bruce, who was crouching next to the wounded girl. "How is it?"

"Well, it's an energy blast, and those are really hard to treat. But the impact wasn't great enough to penetrate the skin or cause any major internal bleeding. The muscles are damaged, though, and it's gonna take a while to heal," Bruce reported. He then glanced at Steve's blood-stained uniform. "You should get that treated."

"It can wait," Steve grunted in response before bending down. "Hey Nicolette, you alright?"

Nicolette glared at him. "I've been shot. What do you think?" she snapped in response.

"You're gonna be alright, the jet's on its way," he said as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, it better be," she muttered before she shut her eyes, trying very hard to block out the pain.

_._._._._.

"Hey, careful!" Steve frowned as the paramedics carelessly carried Nicolette onto the stretcher.

They immediately slowed down and tightened up in fear that the super soldier might start attacking them. They saw what he did to Zemo, after all. After carefully bringing her into the Quinjet, another paramedic approached him.

"Would you like us to see that wound, sir?" he asked. His voice was confident, but it was slightly wavering in nervousness.

"Not right now, maybe later. Thanks, son," he casually patted the young man's shoulder before walking back to the Quinjet, where the rest of the team were waiting for him.

"Deja vu," Clint joked as he stood in the corner, with his arms folded.

"It's actually very similar to our last mission. All of us gathered, except for Simmons, who was injured both times," Bruce piped in.

"Both times because of me," Steve muttered.

"Come on, Cap. Don't beat yourself up because of that. I'm sure she'll be a-okay in no time!" Tony encouraged, nudging him playfully.

"Thanks, Stark," he offered a small smile before facing the ground once again, throwing the entire jet into awkward silence.

* * *

**A/N And that's Chapter 9! I hope it was action-packed enough! I really hoped all of you enjoyed it, and leave a review! I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I don't know when I'll be free next. Well, 'til then!**

**~DBT**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hey guys! An early update! Awesome, right? Yeah, I didn't go to school today, because I had a headache, so I spent the entire day writing. All because I have nothing better to do with my life. I just wanna thank the ones who favourited/followed once again. And those who reviewed! That means you guys: RAHbooks, bookangel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest and DarkRulerKida! Thank you guys so much! This chapter is kind of a filler, so no major action or romance here. But still, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Steve nodded subconsciously as the doctor read off his clipboard and explained some stuff about his injury. Something about major muscle groups, non-serrated blades, and his super soldier serum speeding up the healing.

Steve looked down to his side and saw that the wound was dressed up pretty neatly. There was a layer of tape over the blood-stained gauze, and he twisted his body slightly to realize that it didn't restrict his movements too much.

"…if you don't have any more questions, I'll be on my way," the doctor said as he pushed up his glasses and put his hand on the door knob.

"Hey, doc, wait! How's Nicolette doing?" he asked. That was the only thing he needed to know right then. "Simmons," he added, seeing the doctor's confused look.

"Oh, Miss Simmons! She's resting now. She was very lucky, you know. One more inch to the right and it would have burst one of her major veins. You can see her now, but she might not be awake," the doctor smiled at him.

"Let's go," Steve said as he stood up. The doctor led him down the corridor and Steve memorized the route. Soon, they stopped in front of a door, and the doctor opened it.

"Miss Simmons, you have a visitor," he announced, walking into the room.

"How many times do I have to tell you? The name's- …Steve," she breathed. She was about to snap at the doctor for not calling her Nicolette again, but stopped herself once she realized who her visitor was.

"The name's Steve?" the super soldier joked at her words.

"Shut up," Nicolette muttered as she looked away.

"I'll leave you two alone," the doctor gave them a knowing smile before leaving the room.

"Hey, are you alright?" Steve asked as he sat on the bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know, except for the fact that I've been shot by a weapon, and I could've died and all. But other than that, I'm fine," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she tried to sit up.

"Here, let me help," Steve offered as he put his arm around her back and effortlessly lifted her into a sitting position.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her cheeks tinted red.

"What was that, Simmons?" Steve smirked.

"You heard me," she returned with a glare.

A very awkward silence ensued as both were trying to find words to say.

"So..." Nicolette broke it, finding something to talk about. "Where's the sphere?"

"It's with SHIELD. Stark got it just before we left."

"Ah."

Th awkward silence continued, as the conversation ended. Nicolette glanced down at her arm. She never noticed how gross it looked. The skin was smooth, but it was like a huge bruise, as it was blue-black. And all her veins and capillaries were visible, as they were purple. The surrounding area was sore and red-

"Are you from New York?" Steve asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Sorry. I know that was random, but it's just you don't seem like a New Yorker."

"Yeah, I'm not. I'm from a city off Boston, called Cambridge. I do research work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, you see. I studied my degree, bachelor and PhD there, after I graduated from my high school in LA," Nicolette explained. After a slight pause, she replied, "What about you?"

"I'm from Brooklyn, or I was. My apartment was torn down to build a mall, apparently. But SHIELD got me a new one in the city, and they got back all my clothes and money, goodness knows how," Steve smiled. Nicolette smiled back before she looked back at her wound, disgust clouding her features before tearing her eyes away.

"I'm sorry," Steve blurted, his gaze locked on her. "For hurting you. I totally understand if you hate me for it."

"Don't be ridiculous, I never hated you," Nicolette frowned, but there was that mischievous glint in her eyes again.

"You didn't?" he asked hopefully, his eyes lighting up.

"No, I just really really really didn't like you," Nicolette replied with mock happiness. "On second thoughts, you're right, I did hate you. Or, I _do_ hate you. Present tense."

"Because I indirectly shot you?"

"Well...partially. There are lots of other reasons to hate you," she stated plainly.

"Gosh, Simmons, you really need to grow up!" Steve snapped as he abruptly stood up and opened the door. "All I wanted was to apologise, and you go and insult me," he added before closing the door behind him.

_._._._._.

"So, who's up for some shawarma later?" Tony asked the rest of the Avengers, plus Nicolette.

"Shawarma? What's that?" Nicolette frowned at the totally foreign word.

"It's this wrap sorta thing, with meat inside. It's really good," Natasha said.

"Well, it's pretty obscure, but I'm all for it!" Nicolette chirped.

"Didn't we have shawarma the last time, when we defeated Loki and the Chitauri?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, we did. I'm thinking we can make this something like a celebration. You know, after we save the world we go get shawarma," Tony responded.

"Sounds good to me," Bruce added. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Everyone except Steve, that is.

"Hey, Cap, you alright?" Natasha asked, nudging him,

"Yeah, I'm fine. Shawarma sounds great," he replied monotonously.

"You seem upset. What is the problem?" Thor asked.

"I said I'm fine," Steve sighed. He glanced at a care-free and smiling Nicolette before his frown deepened and he looked back at the floor.

"Sorry I'm late, I had some business to attend to," Fury interrupted their conversation with his and Hill's entrance.

"First off, I'd like to both thank and congratulate all of you for saving the Earth once again. I don't know what Zemo would've did with his weapon, but I'm glad we didn't find out," Fury said.

"Next, we have to decide what to do with the sphere." Just as Fury said that, two men came in, carrying the sphere in a transparent box.

"Is it not obvious? It should be brought to Asgard, and kept in Odin's vault," Thor spoke up, his voice insistent.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that," Fury nodded as the two men passed the box to Thor. "The helicarrier will be landing on the sea bed in about 2 hours' time. I suggest you gather your stuff. The Quinjet will bring you back to land soon after."

"Sir, the council..." Agent Hill reminded him.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten. Well, I have to go now," Fury nodded at the team before he hurriedly walked through the door and into the corridor.

"So, shawarma? A friend of mine told me the best is on West 4th Street, between 6th Avenue and Macdougal Street. So we should go there," Tony continued the conversation casually.

"Yeah, we should go as soon as we land!" Nicolette suggested.

"And what're we going to do with all our stuff?" Clint challenged, at which Nicolette's face fell.

"Tomorrow, then. It shouldn't be that crowded on Thursdays, anyway," Natasha offered.

"Great! If that's settled, I really got to pack. I have a lot of stuff," Nicolette joked as she stood up. The rest followed suit, and by the next minute, the conference room was empty.

"Hey, Stark, wait up!" Steve said as he pulled Tony to one side.

"What's up, Capsicle?" he replied jokingly, earning an annoyed look from Steve.

"I need your help to hack into something," Steve blurted.

"Wow, the perfect soldier breaking the rules?" Tony asked in fake shock.

"I need you to hack into SHIELD's server and tell me all about Simmons. You in?" Steve hurriedly said.

"Aww... The superhero has a crush. But hey, count me in!" Tony laughed as he whipped out his phone. "Jarvis, run 'Nicolette Simmons' on every server there is."

"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied, and digits appeared on the screen.

"Thanks, Stark, I owe you one," Steve smiled gratefully.

"You bet you do," Tony breathed as he excused himself and walked away.

* * *

**A/N Told you notto expect too much. But don't worry, next chapter will be more fun! Problem is, I don't know when I'll next be able to update. I'll try my best, but I can't skip school just to write again. Well, 'til then, please review! I love you guys so much! By the way, the shawarma joint is a real place, you should test and see if it's really the best!**

**~DBT**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hey guys! So I managed to update sooner than I thought, yay! And it really makes me super happy that you guys are still favouriting/story alerting this! And there are more reviwers! Thank you guys so much! Yes, you, RAHbooks, bookangel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest, DarkRulerKida and Vanillastar! Love you guys! So here is Chapter 11!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Captain Steve Rogers walked down the streets of New York City, completely stumped. Now that he knew Nicolette's past, or some of it at least, he felt like he knew more about her. And he wanted to ask her about it, but he couldn't go up to her and say 'Hey, I now know your dark past! Mind if I ask you some questions about it?'

He groaned as he looked at his watch – 11.30, it read. That means he had half an hour more before he would encounter her at shawarma. Tony had come by his house in the morning to tell him, and drop off the files. It was a very funny conversation, now that he thought about it.

_He was sitting on his couch, watching TV, when a knock came. Naturally, he got up and peered through the peephole. "Stark?" he opened the door and frowned in confusion._

_"Hey, Rogers. We're meeting in shawarma at noon, so don't be late. I texted everyone else already, but since you don't have a phone, I thought I'd come by personally. Yeah, and I figured I could drop this off too," he said as he entered the one-bedroom apartment. He casually sat on the couch as he flung a folder onto the coffee table._

_Steve picked it up and skimmed through the pages. "Nicolette's past…it's so…wow," he muttered._

_"That's not all. There's more, but it's sealed. I could get it for you if you want, but hacking into your girlfriend's history isn't a good way to start a relationship," Tony said as he stood up._

_"Thanks, Stark. I owe you one," Steve said, putting a hand on his shoulder._

_"Don't sweat it, Cap. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta run. Remember, noon," he said before opening the door and leaving._

Steve chuckled as the memory flashed back. He had sat down on the couch and read the files over so many times he practically memorized. She had lived a terrible childhood, people betraying her so much, it's no wonder she didn't trust anyone around her.

11.41, his watch now read as he glanced at it. It would take about 10 minutes to go to the shawarma joint from his current position, so he decided to walk around some more.

Walking around didn't help very much, because fifteen minutes had past and he still had no clue what to do, or say to Nicolette. He was almost at the restaurant, and was early as usual, when he heard a very familiar voice call his name.

"Shoot!" he muttered before turning around to face her. "Hey, Nicolette… you're early."

"Well, so are you," Nicolette retorted.

"I was in the army. Old habits die hard," he shrugged in response, earning a small giggle from Nicolette.

She glanced at his outfit and gave a disgusted look. "What are you wearing?" she criticized.

"What are _you _wearing?" he retorted, looking at her halter top, mini-skirt and heels. And of course, her bandaged forearm.

"Something fashionable. In other words, not that," she said, gesturing to his clothes.

"Well, it was fashionable back in my time," he explained. Nicolette shrugged and gave him an amused smile.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you-" she stopped when she glanced behind him and saw a familiar face, one which brought back horrible memories. The smile disappeared from her face and was replaced by a distressed look. "What's he doing here?" she hissed.

Steve turned around and knew who she was referring to, a man named David, also known as Gabby's boyfriend when he was younger. He had read her files this morning, and he knew that this was the person who had tormented her when she was back in school. He had half a mind to beat the hell out of him and avenge Nicolette's past of bullying.

Anger and rage built up inside of him, and what Nicolette did next was completely unexpected. She slid her arm up to the back of his head and pulled him down, crashing her lips into his. Steve was shocked at first, but after a moment he was kissing back.

Nicolette leaned deeper into the kiss as she reveled in it. Their lips were almost dancing, the way they moved against each other's, she thought. Suddenly, she came to her senses, and pushed him away, panting for air. Had she just admitted that the kiss was pleasurable? This was the man she made fun of everyday, and she was enjoying kissing him?

"Nicolette?" a voice snapped her out of her thoughts, as she turned to face her old nemesis.

"David? Wow, it certainly has been a while! What are you doing in New York?" she asked politely.

"I live here now. What about you? I thought you moved to Massachusetts," he replied.

"Yeah, I did. I just came here for a work attachment," she lied easily. Glancing at Steve, whose fists were clenched, she continued. "Before I forget, this is Steve," she introduced, snaking her arm around his and grabbing his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," David nodded at him, before turning back to Nicolette. "Hey, Nicolette, about what happened in high school…"

"Forget about it. It's passed now, no point getting worked up over it," she gave him a nervous chuckle and a fake smile.

"Thanks. I gotta go catch a movie, maybe we can catch up some other time," he said. And after some goodbyes, they parted.

"What was that all about? The kiss, I mean," Steve asked, blushing.

Nicolette's cheeks turned pink as well, as she looked away. "Sorry about that. I just couldn't be seen without a date in front of him. It's complicated, something in the past. You wouldn't know," she muttered.

"Yeah, must be tough, after all those years of bullying from him and Gabby," he blurted, unthinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he put his hands over his lips.

Nicolette turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "How do you know?" she questioned. He shook his head and remained silent. "Steve, how do you know?" she demanded again, putting a hand on his chest then pushing him towards the brick wall behind them.

"I hacked into your file," he admitted.

"Tony," she breathed, knowing after one glance into his eyes. After inhaling sharply, she continued, "What else do you know?"

"That's all," he said, his voice quivering.

"You do know that you're a horrible liar, right? Now tell me, what else do you know?" she interrogated.

"I know that Gabby used to be your best friend, until she betrayed you and started bullying you, along with David. I know that that was the cause of your anorexia, and you were in and out of rehab for a year because of that," he caved in, the words rushed.

"That's all?" she scowled. Steve nodded and she examined his reaction before finally believing him, and took a step back.

"Well, you hacked into my files, too!" Steve defended himself.

"Yeah, to find out some basic stuff about you. I didn't hack into the sealed files, and read about your humiliating past!" she retorted, her breathing ragged from anger.

"Nicolette, I'm sorry," he apologized, hanging his head in shame.

"Whatever. Let's just go and eat already. I'm determined not to let you ruin this lunch," she folded her arms before walking off, heels clacking against the cement floor.

* * *

**A/N Ooh, drama! Don't worry everything will be resolved in the end! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though it was kinda sad, and short. Next chapter will be happier! And longer, too! :) 'Til then!**

**~DBT**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Hey guys! It's a little late, I know. But I decided to make this chapter a little longer than the 2 before. Yay! Thank you all who favourited/put this on story alert! And thanks so much to those who reviewed - RAHbooks, bookangel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest, DarkRulerKida and Vanillastar! I hope this is not too bad, it was kind of rushed... Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Are you sure this is edible?" Nicolette asked skeptically, looking at the wrap in her hand.

"For the millionth time, yes. Just eat it!" Natasha sighed from beside her.

Nicolette raced herself for the worst and took a bit into her shawarma. Her eyes opened wide almost immediately in surprise and delight. "This is really good," she said, with her mouth half-full.

"We told you, didn't we?" Clint laughed.

Nicolette laughed along, enjoying the happiness of being with some people she could call friends. And it was very helpful, too. Because these people could kick some butt, as she had seen first-hand.

Well, except maybe Steve. She was very purposefully leaving him out, and if she had to include him she would ridicule him. The others noticed as well, but they chose to remain silent, for fear of more tension building up.

"So," Nicolette spoke, breaking the silence. "What are you guys planning to do after we part and stuff?"

"Nat and I are gonna go to Hawaii for a few days, before we go back to SHIELD. Fury gave us a week off," Clint announced, grinning at Natasha.

"I'll probably go back to India, you know, resume working as a doctor. I'm thinking if relocating to another village, though," Bruce said.

"I will return to Asgard. My father needs me to help rule. He is growing old, I am afraid, and I will have to take more responsibilities," Thor said as he started on his fifth or so shawarma.

"I'll be working on the new Stark Tower. My baby's going to be done in less than a month! Which reminds me, I'll be having this huge opening party, and you're all invited! You can't say no, because I know where all of you live," he said, smirking. The team erupted into laughter, which earned a few dirty looks from the people from the neighbouring tables.

The laughter died down, and Steve was about to speak, but Nicolette cut in, "We already know what you'll be doing Steve. You'll be finding out if you have a place in this world. A lot of things have changed, you know, since the ice age." Steve looked down and continued eating silently as the group was thrown into an awkward silence.

After a while, Tony cleared his throat. "So, what will _you_ be doing after all this is done, Nicolette?" he asked, trying to continue the conversation.

"I'll be going back to Massachusetts. My plane leaves on Sunday morning, so I'm staying in a hotel in the meantime," she answered casually, as if she wasn't responsible for the anxiety in the room.

"You're staying in a hotel? You _do_ know that Stark Tower has 55 levels, right? Fine, some of them are under construction, but I still have at least ten guest rooms," Tony said.

"It's okay, I don't want to bother you. Besides, I like it in the hotel," Nicolette declined politely.

"Bother me? I got this guy, and this guy staying there. I'm sure one more is nothing," he said, pointing to Bruce and Thor. Nicolette laughed, but still declined.

Before anyone knew it, it was getting late, and they had to part. "Well, this is it! Actually, not really, since you'll all be coming to my party. But still," Tony said as he leaned on his car.

"Well, it's been a pleasure working with you," Nicolette said, nodding her head at each one of them, excluding Steve.

"Come on, it's just a month, we won't die," Natasha rolled her eyes.

Thor took out the cosmic sphere from the trunk of Tony's car. "I will return in a months' time. Until then," he said, and teleported to Asgard.

Finally, after their overdramatic goodbyes, they finally parted. With Tony and Bruce heading off in Tony's fancy car, Steve riding off on his motorcycle, Nicolette hailing a cab, and Clint and Natasha driving off in Clint's new car.

But despite being furious at Steve from hacking into her file, Nicolette was a little down for not parting with Steve as friends. Well, she thought, ultimately it was his fault.

_._._._._.

Images flashed through Nicolette's mind, as she tossed and turned on her hotel bed. Voices from the past and from the present, from different people spoke.

_"What a freak!" Gabby cried in her mocking tone. "Look at her clothes, her bag, her everything! She's such a nerd!" Then the laughter came. Not only from her, but from everyone around._

_Suddenly, the setting changed, and I was in the helicarrier. "Were you always this dumb?" I saw myself ask Steve. Angrily, he stormed out. It changed again, and now we were in the lab. "...you know, coming back from the ice age," I said, in an alarmingly similar tone to the one Gabby used on me._

_More an more insults were heard, from both me and Gabby. The same mocking tone, the same mirthless laughter. Suddenly it was all to overwhelming. It felt like cold, icy water, and it was enveloping me. It was up until my waist, then my chest, my neck. Finally, I took one gasp of air and I went under._

_I was running out of air. Drowning. I was going to die. My words were going to kill me._

Nicolette woke up, completely breathless. She sat up, gulping down the cool air of the hotel room. Salty tears fell down her face as she came to a realisation of the dream's impact. After a few minutes of silent crying, she got up, a determined look on her face.

She didn't care that it was 2.17 in the morning, she got onto her computer and looked through Steve's SHIELD file, obtaining his address. Quickly locating it on Google maps, she became aware of the fact that it was within walking distance. She quickly memorised the address and shut down the computer.

She grabbed her wallet, phone and room keys, putting them in a purse, before opening the door. Then, a few things struck her.

One, she was in her pajamas. Two, she couldn't see further than 3 feet as neither her glasses nor her contacts were on. Three, walking about in the middle of the night may not be the smartest thing to do.

Closing the door, she got to fixing the problems. She slipped on a T-shirt and jeans, before freshening up a little. She grabbed her glasses and her purse before rushing out the door, calling a cab on the way to the lobby.

Another thing struck her while she was in the yellow taxi - she wasn't wearing any make-up. Sure, she had brushed her teeth, and even sprayed a little perfume, but she had no make-up on.

It's okay, she consoled herself. It's just Steve. Just Steve. The man she kissed. A pleasurable kiss, at that. So how can a man she found contentment in kissing be 'Just Steve'?

She shook her head. It was 2.30 in the morning, it wasn't a time to think, she concluded, before looking out the window. The bright lights were still shining in the night. It really is the city that never sleeps, she thought.

_._._._._.

Nicolette pounded on the door of Steve's apartment. Not long later, he emerged, standing sleepily at his door, wearing a simple t-shirt and baggy pants. "Rogers, we need to talk," she said simply.

"Simmons? It's 2.45 in the morning! Can't this-" he was about to protest and send her away, but stopped when he saw Nicolette's pleading hazel eyes, magnified by her thick glasses. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Come one in."

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully and entered his home. She took a short look at the apartment before she sat down on the couch.

"So, what was so important it couldn't wait until morning?" Steve asked as he sat down beside her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I-uh...That is, I-uh, I mean..." she stuttered, at a complete loss of words. The memories ran through her head - the bullying to her, the mocking from her, the kiss... Tears ran down her face as the thoughts filled her mind.

Steve grew alarmed as his eyes widened. He didn't know how to handle people crying. He put a hand on her shoulder the best thing he could think of at that moment was to apologise. "Nicolette, I'm sorry. This is all my fault, isn't it? For hacking into your file," he guessed.

Nicolette shook her head. "No, it's not. It's my fault. It's always been my fault..." she replied, a fresh round of tears emerging from her eyes.

Great, Steve thought sarcastically. Now he was confused _and _alarmed. He started patting her shoulder, as he didn't know what else to do. Think, Rogers, he told himself. What did he remember from movies and books?

She sniffled and wiped away some tears with the back of her hand before she started to explain. "You already know about my...my bullying, right? And my...anorexia?" she asked, as if she had difficulties saying 'bullying' and 'anorexia'. Steve nodded and continued patting her shoulder. "Well, that's not all..."

"I know," he butted in. "Stark told me there was more, but he didn't tell me what."

"Oh," she mumbled. She breathed in sharply before she decided to tell him everything. "You know about what happened in school... But you don't know what happened back at home. My parents... they-" her voice cracked as she stopped to wipe her cheeks again.

"Nicolette, it's okay, you know. I mean, if you don't want to-" he stopped mid-sentence when Nicolette held up her hand, signalling for him to stop talking.

She shook her head. "I gotta do this," she breathed. She paused for a moment before she continued her story.

"When I was about 10 or so, my father started getting drunk a lot. He got sacked from his job as an engineer, so he got more drunk. He kept coming home drunk, and sleeping with another woman. My mum ignored it, of course. She had her own troubles, being a lawyer. But one day she couldn't take it anymore, and kicked him out of the house. By then, I was 12.

"My father...he didn't take it so well, and a few days later he came back. And...he attacked us. He was so drunk, he really didn't know what he was doing! He kept coming back... He kept-" she choked on her words, unable to get them out.

She couldn't speak now, her sobs prevented her from doing so. She then reached forward and gave Steve a really big hug, burying her face into his broad shoulder, her right arm around his neck, but her left, injured, arm hung limply.

Steve was stunned. Now he really had no clue what to do. He cleared his throat and put one arm around her, stroking her back, while the other was behind him, supporting the weight of both of them.

"Shh... It's alright, Nikki," he coaxed, whispering into her ear. He had seen a man do this in one of the movies Bucky and his date had dragged him to. He had also used her nickname, something which he hadn't done before. The word somehow felt right on his lips, it had rolled very smoothly on his tongue. "Nikki," he repeated, and a small smile found its way to his face.

They remained there, silent, except for Nicolette's sniffles and sobs. No words were exchanged, just actions. He relaxed the hand behind him and he lay down on the sofa, her body still on his chest. It was now later than 3 in the morning, and both were tired.

Nicolette fell asleep crying into the shoulder of someone she trusted, and Steve dozed off with a lady in his arms. Something neither of them imagined would have happened to them.

* * *

**A/N Too sappy? Hehe... I'm felling pretty low right now, so that explains the overload of tears, right? Well, favourite it, put it on story alert, review it! I'm not so sure when I'm updating, but I'll try, eh? 'Til then! Love you guys!**

**~DBT**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Heyo guys! First, I'd like to thank you all for your positive response for the previous chapter, it really made my day, so thank you all! I originally planned for them to have another huge fight, but I figured after that night they should be happy, even just for a short while. I would also like to sincerely apologise for this really late chapter. I didn't get to use the computer at all since I last updated, because I was that busy. Anyway, thank you to those who put this on favourite/alerts list. And thank you to RAHbooks, bookagel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest, DarkRulerKida and Vanillastar for reviewing! Right, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Nicolette slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight streaming into the apartment. She pushed the blanket away as she lifted her up from the pillow. Confused, she sat up, not knowing where she was.

Slowly, last night's events came rushing back to her. The dream, the going to Steve's apartment, the tears. A smile found its way to her face as she recalled how she fell asleep in his arms. She wondered, though, what their relationship was now.

She looked down at the couch and frowned. She didn't remember sleeping with a blanket. And where the hell was Steve?

The smell of cooking wafted through the air and she immediately knew where he had gone. After putting on her glasses which were on the coffee table, she got up and made her way to the kitchen, to see Steve cooking an omelette.

"Morning, Steve," she called, waltzing into the kitchen.

Steve turned around. "Simmons, you're up! Just in time," he said, slipping the cooked egg onto a plate. He gestured to an empty seat where breakfast was prepared already.

Nicolette sat down, surprised. "Thanks, but I didn't know you could cook," she said.

"Well I had to learn sometime, considering I live alone," he replied, sitting down next to her.

She shrugged, and the two started on their breakfast. There was complete awkward silence, as the two made no sound at all.

Finally, Nicolette cleared her throat. "Sorry for sleeping on your couch," she said, looking down. Steve immediately told her that it was not a problem, but purposely left out the fact that she slept on him rather than on his couch.

The silence continued as thoughts swirled around in both their heads. Were they now friends? In a relationship?

Nicolette glanced at the clock and gasped. "Shit! Steve, I really really have to go now. My flight back to Boston leaves at 2am and I haven't even started packing!" she panicked, seeing that it was already 10 in the morning. She turned to Steve and looked at him accusingly. "How could you let me sleep until this late?" she snapped.

Steve looked down sheepishly. "You just...looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you," he mumbled.

Nicolette's expression softened at his response as she smiled at him. "I'm really sorry, Steve. I gotta go now," she said as she stood up.

"It's alright, I understand," he replied as he stood up as well and passed her her purse. Nicolette wordlessly took it from him as she waited for him to unlock the door.

She slipped on her sandals and tried to suppress her mixed feelings. She really wanted to throw her arms around him there and then and just kiss him full on the lips. Or at least give him a big hug, just to hold him close. She glanced at his perfectly pink lips before looking back to his eyes.

But she didn't do any of that. "See you in a month," she said, and patted him on the shoulder, before turning her back to him and walking away. She nearly slapped herself, literally. She wanted to turn around and at least give him a kiss on the cheek, but she just continued walking, wallowing in her own bubble of self-pity.

_._._._._.

Nicolette's digital watch beeped, signalling that it was Sunday midnight. She yawned as she pushed down her suitcase and tried to zip it up. All the things she bought while shopping in New York really made her suitcase full. She found a few heavy books and heaved them onto the suitcase before she was finally able to close it successfully.

After doing a thorough check of the room despite nearly falling asleep twice, she lugged herself and her suitcase into the elevator. Walking up to the counter, she quickly checked out and got into the cab she called for previously.

Her chin rested on the base of her palm as she gazed out the window on the way to the airport. She contemplated stopping by Steve's apartment, just to say a proper goodbye, but she was already very late, and he might not take her barging into his apartment twice in a row, in the middle of the night very well.

Nicolette pushed up her thick glasses once again. After not using her glasses very often, she wasn't used to doing that. But she needed to sleep on the plane, and contacts were such a bother to put on and take off. And not that she would admit it, but if Steve had accepted her wearing her glasses, she would gladly wear it every single day.

Soon, she finally reached the airport. After giving the driver the fare and a small tip, she walked into the air-conditioned departure hall. She was glad to check in her luggage, and finally get rid of it, before about to enter immigration.

Cursing herself for dropping her passport and boarding pass, she bent down to pick it up, but someone beat her to it. "Thank you...Steve?" she asked as she looked up to see the familiar blonde.

"Hello, Nicolette," he gave her a weak smile.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"To say a proper goodbye," he answered. After a questioning glance from Nicolette, he continued in a very rapid pace, "Nikki, I don't know how to say this, but I really like you. I mean, I think you're a really groovy person, but I think there's something more than that. It's like Peggy Carter, you know her, and it's something a little more than that. And I understand you may not feel this way as well but-"

He was cut off when Nicolette stepped forward and closed the gap between them by crashing her lips onto his. Steve was stunned for a moment, but returned the kiss, leaning into it. Her hands flew to his hair and toyed with it as his arms went around her waist.

Way too early for their liking, both of them broke apart. "You talk too much," Nicolette explained casually, panting lightly.

"Well, that's ironic coming from you considering-"

"Boarding for flight MA67, from New York to Boston," a voice came from over the intercom.

Nicolette looked at her watch. "Shit, that's my flight, and I haven't even gone through immigration!" she muttered. She grabbed her carry-on bag, and turned to leave after a very brief farewell, when Steve called her.

"What about us?" he said, gesturing from him, to her, and back to him.

"Steve, it kills me to say this, it really does, but it's not gonna work out. You live in New York City, and I like in a completely different state! I'm sorry," she said sadly, laying her soft hands on his cheek.

"Goodbye, Nikki," he said, looking away. Nicolette wrapped her arms around him and embraced him, returning the goodbye, before pulling away and turning around.

She passed through the transparent glass doors after passing her passport and boarding pass to the security guard for inspection. She turned around to see Steve still patiently waiting for her, despite it being the early hours of the morning. She waved goodbye once more before turning back and wiping her moist eyes and turning around a corner, disappearing from his sight.

* * *

**A/N The End. Haha just kidding, I wouldn't end it like that! I hope it wasn't too boring, or sappy for you. This is like a build-up for the next chapter (it's gonna be really long). Well, this is the second last chapter, or third last. But don't worry, I'll end with a happy ending! And it's the part next chapter, right? So I got my friend to design a really nice dress just for Nicolette! I'll post the link on my profile once I post the next chapter. When, you ask? Well, I really don't know. I have a lot of tests coming up, so I'm studying pretty hard for them. But I assure you, it'll be worth the wait. Hope you liked it, and thank you all for reading. Peace out.**

**~DBT**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Hey guys! I'm so sorry this is so late, but I've been so so busy with school! I've been staying back until 6.30, then I need to do homework, so I'm sorry for this very late update. This isn't the long-awaited chapter, I'm afraid. I decided to make this a filler chapter, and next chapter will be the final chapter (for real this time). Thank you all for favouriting and putting this on story alert! And thanks to ****RAHbooks, bookagel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest, DarkRulerKida, Vanillastar and erika001 for reviewing! On with the story! I hope you enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Thank you," Nicolette said politely as she took back her passport from the immigration officer. She flashed him a smile before walking off, rolling her suitcase behind her.

She couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was in New York City, and she was going to meet Steve very soon. She had been looking forward to this for a month, and now that it was finally here, she was ecstatic.

She remembered how she had imagined coming home after a long days' work, to see Steve there waiting for her, a bouquet of tulips (that's her favourite flower) in his hands. It wasn't until a week later that her hope dwindled, and reality came back to her.

Now that she thought about it, those thoughts were silly. Steve had his life in New York, and she had hers in Cambridge. That was just the way life is.

The cool autumn air hit her as Nicolette took out her cellphone and dialed Tony's number. She took up his offer of staying with him for the weekend of the party, for she had to return in time for work on Monday morning. She admired the skyline of the city, especially since it was a Friday night, and the city was filled with bright lights.

"Nicolette, how nice of you to call!" came the familiar voice of Tony Stark.

"Hello Tony," she laughed slightly. "My plane just arrived in New York, so I'll get a cab and I'll be at your place in twenty. Is that alright?" She walked to the end of the queue waiting for the taxi. Luckily, there were only a few people in front of her.

"Actually I'm already on my way. I'll be reaching in a few minutes," Tony said. She frowned and stepped out of the line, as to not block the other people.

"It's okay, you know, I don't mind taking a cab," she politely said.

"Too late for that, I'm pulling in already," he chuckled, and hung up.

Nicolette's jaw dropped as she saw a limo pulling into the pick-up point. She shook her head and grabbed her suitcase, walking towards the vehicle.

"Nicolette!" Tony greeted happily as he pulled her into a hug.

"A limo? Isn't that a little excessive?" Nicolette asked, returning the hug.

"I'm Tony Stark. Nothing's too excessive for me," he laughed in reply, grabbing her suitcase and putting it in the boot.

"If you say so," she answered, an amused smile on her face as she opened the door and entered the limo.

Tony sat down in the driver's seat and turned on the engine. "Let's go," he smiled, and stepped on the accelerator, the vehicle going at a pace slightly below the speed limit.

_._._._._.

Tony pulled into the driveway of Stark Tower after nearly killing them both with his reckless driving. "Welcome to Stark Tower, or as I call it, home," he grinned, getting out of the car.

Nicolette stepped out of the limo, looking around in awe. "This place is _huge_!" she gasped.

"It should be, considering I live here," he smiled back. He had already gotten her suitcase out, and opened the door.

"Welcome back, sir," Jarvis's voice came. "And you too, Ms Simmons."

"Thank you, Jarvis," she smiled. She remembered Jarvis from the time she had gathered with the team for a meal at Stark Tower a month before.

She turned around, and saw a slim and tall lady, with blonde hair. She had a smile on her face as she approached Nicolette.

"Hello, you must be Nicolette; Tony's told me so much about you. I'm Pepper, it's so good to meet you," she said, extending her harm.

"Likewise," Nicolette smiled back and shook her hand.

She looked at Tony and took to suitcase from him. "Hogan called, he's looking for you," she said to him before turning back to Nicolette. "Come, I'll show you to your room."

_._._._._.

Nicolette yawned as she came out of the bathroom in her nightwear. She glanced at the wall clock, which read 10.30. Great, she thought sarcastically. As if the plane ride wasn't tiring enough.

And not to mention breakfast with the rest of the tea, at 8. She just wanted to sleep until noon, at that point in time. Wait, breakfast with the team... Breakfast with Steve!

A grin appeared on her face as realisation came to her. Finally, after a month of waiting, she got to meet Steve again! She thought of all the things she could say to him, like how much she missed him and was looking forward to going for the party with him.

The shrill ringtone of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. She frowned as she looked at the obscure CallerID, but picked it up anyway. "Hello?" she asked uncertainly.

"Hey, Nicolette," a familiar voice sounded.

"Steve," she breathed. "But, how-?"

"How am I using a phone?" he asked. He was met with silence, so he took it as a yes and continued. "I'm using a house phone. Apparently it's very easy to use, much easier than the small devices you people use." Nicolette's melodious laughter hummed in his ears, and a smile creeped onto his face.

After the laughter died down, the silence came. The awkwardness in it was alarming to Nicolette. She wanted to say so much to him, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"You're probably really tired now, so I should let you sleep. Good night, Nicolette," he broke the silence.

"Bye, Steve, see you tomorrow," she mumbled, and killed the call.

It bothered her a lot, to realise that there was so much tension between herself and the man she felt such a strong attraction to. Maybe she was right about never being able to end up together. Or maybe it was just infatuation, and it had worn off. Or maybe they were both just too tired.

She shook her head. That was way too many things to think about, to consider in that point in time. She was too tired to stand up for much longer, nevermind think about all that. She lay down on her bed, and she fell asleep before her head touched the pillow.

_._._._._.

"Mornin' Sleeping Beauty," a husky voice said as Nicolette felt someone pushing her, trying to get her awake. Her brain took a few seconds to register the voice before she shot up in her bed.

"Steve!" she shouted, alarmed. "What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"8.15," he replied, chuckling slightly. "And I'm here to wake you up."

"Well consider me awake," she muttered as she threw the quilt off herself and started rummaging through her suitcase for some clothes.

"I'll leave you to get ready. The rest are waiting in the living room," Steve said as he walked out of the door.

Nicolette sighed as she grabbed her clothes and walked into the bathroom. As embarrassing as that was, it was also really cute. Maybe there was something between the two after all, she smirked.

After ten minutes or so, Nicolette was in the lift, on the way down to meet the rest. She had changed, freshened up, packed her purse, and was ready to leave for the late breakfast reservation.

"Hello everyone!" she called as the life doors opened with a 'ding'.

"Whaddya know? The princess emerges after Price Charming awakes her from her slumber," Tony sniggered.

"Shut up!" Nicolette and Steve snapped simultaneously, but the red was apparent on both their faces.

"I think we should go to the restaurant now, we're already late," Bruce interrupted, relieving the tension which was previously so great.

The rest nodded and left the tower, going into the driveway.

"You guys like my new ride?" Tony asked, twirling a bunch of keys. In front of them was another limo, this time white, and the plate had the word 'Stark' on it. "Come on," he said, opening the door.

"You know, since you're so rich, why don't you hire a driver?" Clint asked.

Tony scoffed. "A driver? What do you need that for when you have Jarvis? Jarvis, you know where to go," he said, and got into the limo with the rest.

"Yes sir," Jarvis replied, and the limo started moving.

_._._._._.

Breakfast was amazing, and Nicolette missed spending time with the rest of the team. They had some really good waffles, perhaps the best in their lives. But after spending so much time talking and laughing, they had to leave.

"Thanks for breakfast, Tony, but we better go now," Clint said as he and Natasha stood up.

"Good bye, my friends. I will see you tonight, and friend Stark's party," Thor said in his usual deep voice.

They laughed and, after a few more goodbyes, they left. The rest of the team also decided it was time to leave, and so they packed up and went back to Stark Tower.

Nicolette sat next to Steve in the living room where they were watching some documentary on whales. "Hey, Steve, come up to my room?" she asked.

"You read my mind," he replied. And the two excused themselves before darting to the lift.

Once they were in Nicolette's room, she closed the door and joined Steve, who was sitting on the bed. "What's wrong, Nikki?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just missed you, that's all. I mean, it's fun with the team, but I miss the times when it would just be the two of us," she explained and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a surprise for you," Steve said excitedly.

Nicolette took her head off his shoulder and looked at him quizzically. "A surprise?" she asked skeptically. "What is it?"

"You'll have to wait to find out!" Steve grinned.

Nicolette rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine," she mumbled. A silence fell over them before Nicolette looked at him. "Have you ever watched Gone With the Wind? Because it came out in 1939."

She didn't have to ask, because Steve's excited face told everything. "I love that movie! Bucky took me to watch it, and I love it!" he said. He chuckled a little and mumbled, "But he told me never to say that out loud, because it wasn't a very manly movie."

Nicolette giggled as she put her arm around him. "I know guys who love more manly movies, but aren't even half as manly as you," she replied. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, never wanting to let go.

* * *

**A/N Well, that was it. A little short, and not very much content, so I hope it wasn't all that bad! Next chapter will be better, I promise. And like I said before, Nicolette's going to have a really kick-ass dress, all thanks to a good friend of mine! Oh, and there's a reason why I mentioned Gone With the Wind. Mainly because Steve and Nicolette's relationship is like Rhett and Scarlette's relationship, so I thought I'd throw that in. Anyway, thank you all for reading, please review!**

**~DBT**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Heyo peeps! This is it - the final, long-awaited chapter! I hope you guys weren't dying of suspense just yet! If you guys want to know what Nicolette's dress and hair looks like, it's on deviantart, just type in 'Nicolette's dress' and 'Nicolette's hair'. Thank you for putting it on favourites/alerts, and thanks for reviewing, RAHbooks, bookangel1624, Jayc Black, thecatchisdeadliest, DarkRulerKida, Vanillastar and erika001. So here is the last chapter of the story - enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.**

* * *

Pepper walked on the marble floor as she made her way to the door. "Nicolette," she greeted as she opened it.

"Hi Pepper, I hope I wasn't disturbing you," she greeted back as she walked through the door, holding a dress cover by the hanger.

"No, not at all. Is that your dress for tonight?" Pepper asked, closing the door.

"Yeah, but don't tell Steve anything, it's a surprise," she replied with a smile as she walked to the lift.

"My lips are sealed," Pepper said as she winked at Nicolette.

"I'll see you later," Nicolette nodded as she pressed the 'doors close' button.

The lift elevated upwards and she got out when it reached the desired floor with a ding. She got out, and saw Thor lying on the floor of the corridor. "Hey Thor," she acknowledged cheerily.

Thor sat up and looked at her with a wide smile. "Hello friend Nicolette. Could you give me some assistance?" he asked.

"That depends, with what?" she asked skeptically.

"I plan on giving Jane a gift, but I do not know what she would like. I thought, since you are a female, you could help," he explained.

"Thor, I've never met Jane in my life," Nicolette explained. Thor looked at her pleadingly and she succumbed. "Fine, I'll try. Let me put down my dress and we'll go."

"Thank you, friend," he said happily as Nicolette sighed while walking into her room.

_._._._._.

Nicolette flopped down on the bed as she flung her purse beside her. She had spent the last 3 hours walking along the streets of New York City with an Asgardian who was looking for a gift for his girlfriend. Finally, after walking the distance of a marathon, she around something for Jane.

Well, at least she managed to get a nice necklace for herself for the dinner that night. She glanced at the clock and jumped off her bed. It was already 6, so she had exactly an hour to get ready before Tony's huge party.

After 15 minutes, she came out of the bathroom in her dress, and her blonde hair wrapped in a towel. It took another 5 minutes to dry her hair, and 30 to do her hair in a nice half-updo hairstyle. That was 50 minutes gone.

For no apparent reason, Nicolette really wanted to look nice for this occasion. Maybe it was because it was to impress Steve. Maybe it was because the last time she would be seeing the team, or Steve at that. But there was something, something telling her that the night was going to be...magical.

She glanced at the clock. No time to think, she had 10 minutes left. Good thing the ballroom was in Stark Tower itself, she thought.

10 minutes later, she was in the lift, all dressed up. Her dress was with minimal creases, her heels not too uncomfortable, her necklace lying on her collarbone nicely, and every single strand of hair in place. She confidently strode out of the lift and to the ballroom on the third floor.

"Nicolette, just in time!" Pepper smiled as she approached the scientist.

"Hi Pepper, you look amazing," she replied as she gestured to Pepper's sparking green, knee-length dress.

"So do you! Trying to impress a certain Captain America?" she teased. Nicolette merely remained silent as she looked down and blushed. Pepper turned around to get something from the reception desk behind her.

"Table 7, turn right, fourth table," she instructed as she passed the invite to Nicolette.

"Thanks, Pepper, you're awesome," Nicolette smiled as she turned to leave.

"Go wow that super-soldier for me," Pepper winked in goodbye as Nicolette chuckled and opened the intricately-designed oak door.

She gasped as she saw the vast ballroom, larger than a house, in front of her eyes. There was a stage at the front of the room, and a lot of open space in front of it, the marble of the ground almost glowing from the light of the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

At the back and the sides were the tables on the soft carpeted floor. The arrangement of the tables made up two quadrants, ten tables each, which would have been a semicircle if it weren't for the gap left for the people walking in and out, all dressed up nicely.

Nicolette turned right, as Pepper instructed, and counted as she passed the tables. One, two, three...She didn't have to count the fourth table to see that she was supposed to sit there. The familiar faces of the Avengers, except Tony, were seated there.

"Hey, look who it is!" Clint called as he spotted her approaching.

"Hey guys," Nicolette greeted, walking towards the table.

"Friend Nicolette, I am glad you have arrived, for I would like you to meet Jane," Thor said as he stood up, a lady following suit.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Jane Foster," she said. Jane was wearing a strapless red dress, with black heels, and the present Thor had bought her, a string of pearls, hung neatly around her neck.

"Nicolette Simmons," she replied, shaking her hand warmly.

Nicolette was greeted by Clint and Natasha, as they came up to her and hugged her. Clint was wearing a dark grey suit, with a black shirt and white tie inside. Natasha chose something less casual, with a black spaghetti-strap dress which slanted from her thighs to her knees.

After greeting them, she was approached by Bruce and an unfamiliar lady. "Nicolette, this is Betty Ross," he introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Nicolette Simmons," she smiled and extended her hand.

Betty took it as she smiled back. "Betty," she replied, as Nicolette glanced at her plain brown dress. Someone once told her that what dress a woman wore told a lot about her personality. What does it say about her, she wondered, as she glanced down at her dress.

She took once more good look at the royal blue halter dress she wore before looking up. In the midst of all the hellos she got, she didn't notice Steve standing a little further away from everyone surrounding her. A smile grew on her face as she looked at him.

"Steve," she breathed, as she approached him and gave him a huge hug.

"You look beautiful, Nikki," he smiled as they pulled away.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Nicolette smirked as she looked at Steve's tuxedo. It was simple and black, but somehow on him it looked radiant. At least to her.

"Come on, let's eat," he said, leading her to the empty seat which was beside him.

_._._._._.

Dinner was amazing, everyone agreed, and the members to Table 7 were bonding nicely, with jokes being cracked almost every few minutes. Tony actually had to come around to tell them to lower their volume.

After their fifth course, everyone was full, and some already drunk. Clint and Natasha may have had a glass too many, by the way they were laughing without any reason, and Nicolette, too, was getting a little tipsy. The rest had taken either not enough to get them drunk or, in Steve's case, was unable to get drunk.

The dance floor was getting more and more occupied, as couples walked towards the open space and expertly moved their feet and bodies in sync with each other.

Finally, in the break of a conversation, Steve took Nicolette's elbow. "Excuse us," Steve said as they both stood up.

"Steve, I don't wanna dance," Nicolette protested lightly.

"No, I just need a word with you," he clarified.

"Yeah, Nikki, go with your boyfriend," Clint cheered.

Nicolette whipped her head around. "He's not my boyfriend," she hissed.

"He's not?" Bruce's confused voice came.

"Yeah, we've already decided. He lives in New York, I live in Massachusetts, we can't work this out," Nicolette explained.

Clint looked at Steve. "You haven't told her?"

Nicolette frowned. She didn't like being kept in the dark. "Told me what?"

"What I'm going to tell you now. So if you'll excuse us," Steve tugged her arm, and the two left the table.

Steve led her to one of the few balconies of Stark Tower's level 3, and they walked out to be met with the cold night air. The moon was full on that night, and the wind rustled the nearby trees.

He reached into his coat pocket, and took out several pieces of paper. "Over the past month, I've been looking for a job, and these are the documents which confirm my employment," Steve explained.

Nicolette gave him a suspicious look before glancing at the pieces of paper in her hands. She cleared her throat before she read aloud, "Dear Mr Rogers, on the behalf of the military of the United States of America, we have accepted your request for joining the army."

She looked up. "So you're in the army now, what's so important that you couldn't have said in front of the others?" she asked.

"I wanted to see your reaction," Steve smirked as he flipped to the next page and pointed to a paragraph.

"Furthermore, we accept your request of you training at the army base of Massachusetts, just off Boston," Nicolette read, looking up with wide eyes. "You didn't," she said incredulously.

"I did," Steve confirmed.

"But..." she shook a head, at a loss for words.

He smiled and took the papers from her hand, depositing them back in his pocket, before taking her hand. "Let's go in for a dance," he suggested. He thought that if he couldn't have that dance with Peggy, Nicolette would have to do.

Nicolette shook her head. "I'm not dancing," she protested firmly.

"Come on, Nikki, it'll be fun," he urged.

"No. Why do you want do dance anyway?" Nicolette asked, rolling her eyes.

Steve sighed. "Because...before I got frozen, I promised this lady that I'd dance with her. Of course, I never did, but I always wanted, and waited for a dance. Any dance."

"Peggy, isn't it?" Nicolette asked, at which Steve nodded. Nicolette closed her eyes and thought about it, before she made a quick decision. Opening her eyes, she grasped his elbow. "Let's go."

Steve absolutely beamed as he followed her back into the ballroom, and onto the dance floor. When they arrived, they saw a crowd gathering to see a couple dancing the tango, the music accompanying their dance steps beautifully. Steve and Nicolette gaped as they saw who the couple was - none other than their fellow Avengers - Clint and Natasha.

"It's Clint and Natasha," Steve whispered in her ear, amazement clear in his voice.

Nicolette smiled. "Clintasha," she whispered back, the tone joking.

Steve chuckled before the two returned their attention to their two friends. They twisted and turned their bodies, occasionally twirling around as well, as the onlookers watched in wonder.

Finally, the song ended, and the two finished their dance. Clint was holding Natasha by her waist, as she hugged him for support, one leg bent and in the air. They smiled as they relaxed and took a bow at the crowd, and leaving the dance floor.

"We can compliment them later. Now it's time for our dance," Nicolette said, before Steve could leave to praise them.

Steve smiled before realisation came to him. "You would happen to know how to dance, would you?" he asked.

Nicolette shook her head. "I thought you knew, considering you were the one who wanted to do this in the first place," Nicolette said, alarmed.

He shrugged sheepishly. "We could follow the rest," Steve suggested as he put his arms around her waist, and she wrapped hers around his neck. "Peggy always said she would teach me."

"Well, this isn't too bad," Nicolette said as the two started moving their feet. Steve got the hang of it pretty quickly, but Nicolette had two left feet, as she had to focus very hard not to step on his feet.

The two were in silence, as Nicolette was concentrating very hard, and Steve was lost in his thoughts of happiness. "Nikki?" he asked, shattering her concentration.

"Hm?" she asked, trying hard to keep up with the music.

"Thanks for doing this," he smiled.

Nicolette stopped moving and looked up, into his deep blue eyes. Their faces were so close, they could feel each others' rapid heartbeat. With one quick movement and a gasp, she captured his lips with hers. She closed her eyes, as she felt the fireworks in her head.

Steve deepened the kiss as he leaned into it, pulling her closer. He could feel her hands toying with his blonde hair, and he smiled into the kiss. Finally, the two broke apart, panting.

That's when they were aware of the cheering coming from a corner of the room. They turned, and saw their friends all smiling, cheering and applauding for them. Steve blushed and looked down, but Nicolette gave him one more peck on the lips before she led him to them.

Her gut feeling was right, there was something magical about that night.

* * *

**A/N The end (for real this time). This has been a long and memorable journey, and I'd like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for reading, putting this on alert, favouriting and reviewing. It really means a lot to me that there are people out there reading my story, so thank you all so much! I've had such a great time writing this story, through all the thick and thin. I really hope you enjoyed this story, and I really appreciate you reading this. I love you all! Goodbye to all of you!**

**~DBT**


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